God rest ye merry gentlemen

Namath Jackson and Angela Hill portray Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.

Tony Curtis and Terry Pounders act out the prophecy of Christ’s birth.

Chris Barton and Phillip Vinson portray the foretelling of Jesus’ birth to Joseph.

Gene Arthur and Cody Loden act out a scene where angels visit the shepherds, as part of a live nativity event this past week.

Kevin Hill, Robert Clement and Jimmy Pierce depict the visit of the Magi.

Heath Heatherly and Emma Cosbie and Kenny Belvin act out the scene when Joseph and Mary are in Bethlehem and unable to find lodging in an inn.

Addi James and Beau Heatherly act out the birth of Jesus being foretold to Mary.

Ashley Berry and Denver Loden depict Mary wrapping baby Jesus in a cloth and laid him in a manger.

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Mountain View Baptist Church held its annual free drive-through live nativity experience, A Night in Bethlehem, Dec. 12-14.

“We’ve enjoyed another wonderful year,” said the church’s pastor, Sammy Taylor, who noted a total attendance of 276 drive-throughs, with 103 of them occurring on the last night despite events happening elsewhere in the community. “There were 11 scenes from prophecies, all the way through a resurrection scene.”

Located in Phil Campbell, the church’s display included a number of painted wood cutout animals, including sheep, camels, donkeys and a cow, as well as costumed actors. Visitors were invited to listen to narration on the church’s website or from a free CD. A number of Bible scenes made up the experience, from the prophecy of Christ’s birth through to the resurrection.

“Christmastime is my favorite time of year at the church,” said church member Kim Whitten, who was one of the nativity actors. “Our prayer is that our nativity touches others and that their lives are changed for the better.”

“I appreciate everyone who helped to make this event a success, as well as all who came to experience the nativity,” added Taylor. “Our purpose as a church is to keep the gospel of Jesus Christ above all, especially during this time of the year. I pray that as people drove through that God spoke to their hearts about what Christmas is all about.”