20th Annual Bethlehem Walk Starts Saturday

The Mountain View United Methodist Church of Northeast Cobb invites the public to experience the sights and sounds of Bethlehem Walk 2012.

The event, which recreates the birth of Jesus, will be held from 7 – 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 and Sunday, Dec. 2, as well as next Friday, Dec. 7 and Saturday, Dec, 8. 

The preschool morning performance is Friday, Dec. 7 from 9:30 a.m. - noon. 

Mountain View UMC is located at 2300 Jamerson Road. 

“For 20 years, Mountain View has recreated the shops, the townspeople, the census takers, the Roman soldiers, all going about their business while an unnoticed miracle takes place in a small corner of the city,” said Rev. Bill Burch, senior pastor at Mountain View UMC. “This wonderful holiday event provides everyone with a superb opportunity experience the goodness of the season with our neighbors and the members of our congregation."

“Bethlehem Walk is a signature Christmas event that is free of charge and open to everyone,” said Roger Patterson, longtime Mountain View member and Bethlehem Walk participant. “It is a walk-through experience that simulates the town of Bethlehem at the time of the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ."

“The purpose of Bethlehem Walk is to focus our community’s attention on Christ as the center of celebration during the Christmas season,” said Tonya Cannon, the Bethlehem Walk Committee Coordinator this year. “We accomplish our goal by recreating the entire city of Bethlehem on our church grounds. Each night of Bethlehem Walk is a 2-acre interactive play where visitors can walk through the city’s streets and talk with the potter or the baker. People can see Roman soldiers open the city and watch the changing of the tower guards at the city gates. Visitors can listen as the storyteller weaves tales of the heroes of old and sign the census to show they were there." 

The annual production involves more than 175 church members and area volunteers who begin setting up the “city of Bethlehem” in the week after Thanksgiving and play the roles of the people who populated the city on the night of Christ’s birth.

Admission is free, but contributions to the Bethlehem Walk ministry of Mountain View are encouraged. “We hope everyone in our area will join us for this unforgettable holiday experience,” Rev. Burch said. “The memories will last a lifetime.”