More than 2,000 years ago, a baby was born, and his life and faith would later change the world.
His name was Jesus and his followers were early believers of the Christian faith.
A live village performance of Bethlehem this weekend in Afton will bring to life the birth of Jesus and the meaning of Christmas. The annual live performance has been done since 1999, but was put on hold from 2020 to 2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it will be interesting to see how people step into the roles but they’re all very excited about the opportunity,” Ken Bryant said.
Volunteers who perform in the live show are from several churches, including Piney Mountain Ministries, and the event is organized by Hebron Baptist Church.
“We as a church are like a lot of churches. We see our church getting smaller,” Bryant said of attendance.
While the performance is organized and performed by Christians, Bryant said visitors do not have to be Christian to enjoy a live reproduction of the village of Bethlehem.
“We believe certainly that faith and belief are a very individualized thing,” Bryant said.
The focus of the performance is to remember that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, not about gifts and bright lights. Bryant said the birth and death of Jesus were crucial events in the history of humanity. Visitors this weekend are invited to find their place in the real Christmas story.
Visitors will be directed to park and walk through the live, interactive village. Every 30 minutes, the birth of Jesus will be reenacted. Visitors are encouraged to dress appropriately and go at their own pace through the village as they visit shops and displays. Live camels are part of this year’s performance as they have been in the past, and Bryant said they are from Martinsville.
“The stars of the show will continue to be the Roman soldiers, the animals, the singing angels. It’s such a family-friendly event,” Bryant said.
When visitors enter the village, each will be given a plastic coin, and, as in First Century Bethlehem, they will be met by Roman guards asking if they paid their taxes. All volunteers in the performance remain in character, Bryant said, so if visitors ask where Jesus will be born, the villagers are not exactly sure what they mean.
“Something special is going to happen,” they might say. “We just don’t know what it is.”
More than 100 volunteers are necessary to perform in the live village, as well as arrange behind-the scenes details. Bryant said some volunteers made new customers for this year’s village performance.
“It’s a very energetic group of people who put this on,” he said.
Bryant usually handles marketing for the event, but when he has performed in the village, he looks forward to seeing young families visit.
“Because it kind of gives you hope for the future,” he said.
For some Valley families and churches, the live village is a Christmas tradition.
As in previous years, a bright star will shine high in the sky over the village for visitors to find their way.
‘And they find out they are in Bethlehem,” Bryant said.
Admission to the village is free. Hebron Baptist is at 6610 Tanbark Drive, Afton, near Rockfish Valley Fire Department.
Bethlehem will be performed from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, December 15, 2023 and from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17. The live village is rain or shine, but if inclement weather occurs, visitors are encouraged to call Hebron at 540-456-6863 for a recorded message.
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Rebecca Barnabi
