Each year, churches and organizations across the county spend months preparing for an annual tradition meant to remind people of the Christmas season.
Through well-weathered Nativity scenes and volunteers and animals re-enacting the manger scene where Jesus was born, their goal is to spread the Christmas spirit, organizers said.
“People are so hustle and bustle, they forget what the true meaning is of Christmas, it’s the birth of our son, Jesus Christ,” said Ron Bray, organizer of the live Nativity at First Baptist Church of Greenwood.
“We are trying to get the meaning back into Christmas.”
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThe annual traditions take weeks and months of preparation to make sure everything is just right.
For live Nativity scenes, that means preparing for the weather, building manger scenes that can stand up to wind, rain and snow and finding the animals needed. For example, First Baptist Church of Greenwood just this week secured a donkey for its live Nativity, Bray said.
At Compass Park this year, that meant adding a GPS tracker onto baby Jesus, who was stolen from the manger scene two years ago, said Chad Davis, director of business development.
The small tracker is mounted on the baby Jesus statue and can track where it is if stolen.
“It’s just to ease everyone’s mind that if someone takes him, we can find him,” Davis said.
This year, the scene is also set up on Red Skelton Circle so it’s easy to drive by, and visitors will notice a new Christmas lights display that was added, he said. The organization and its sponsors spent about $5,000 on the added lights.
The goal is to make the manger scene and lights an attraction people can drive by to get into the Christmas spirit, Davis said.
That’s a big reason why churches also host live Nativity scenes. At least two churches will be hosting those this year, with one this weekend and another next weekend.
Bray expects anywhere from 300 to 500 cars to visit their drive-thru Nativity scene on Dec. 22. Youth from the church acts out the scene, and are joined by a donkey, goats and sheep, he said.
Church officials began meeting to discuss the annual event and prepare for it in September. Bray will finish building the manger this weekend.
The preparation is all worth it when the Nativity scene has an impact on visitors, Bray said.
This weekend, Honey Creek United Methodist Church is hosting its live Nativity scene for at least the fourth time, which has drawn crowds of as many as 350 people, organizer Don Bunch said.
Bunch typically begins building the manger weeks in advance, and getting the structure up takes eight to 10 people, he said. Another eight to 10 volunteers are needed to be in the Nativity scene.
The cost is minimal, since most people volunteer or donate materials or the use of their animals, including sheep, goats and a mini-horse. They’ve learned that a camel, which can cost $150 per hour to rent, is just too costly, he said.
But once he sees the people visiting, especially the children, it’s all worthwhile, Bunch said.
“People are losing sight of what Christmas is about, especially children,” he said.
“You have to be there to see it and you have to be there to feel it. It does me a lot of good.”
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Here is a look at local nativity attractions you can visit:
Compass Park, formerly Indiana Masonic Home
What: Nativity scene with Christmas light display
Where: 690 State St., Franklin
When: Going on now
Honey Creek United Methodist Church
What: Live nativity scene
Where: 2722 S. Honey Creek Road, Greenwood
When: 7 to 9 p.m. today
First Baptist Church of Greenwood
What: Live nativity scene
Where: 99 W. Main St., Greenwood
When: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday
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