Rosemount Church Offers Visitors 'Journey Through Bethlehem'

Most larger churches produce some sort of Christmas-related program in December. It's a way to introduce the church to visitors and an opportunity for the congregation to come together for an event that reminds everyone of the traditional meaning of Christmas.

But finding the right tone can be challenging. Too serious and the visitors leave more downbeat than when they arrived. And while Christmas is a joyous time, audiences typically don't want to see a show that leans too much towards laughs.

Pastor Neil Ristow of Rosemount's Lutheran Church of Our Savior said that when his church first presented A Journey Through Bethlehem, he was looking for a show that accurately reflected his congregation and their beliefs.

"Our church teaches that Christmas is a joyous time and we wanted to do something that showed that to visitors," he said.

The production recreates the Christian Bethlehem. Characters include shepards, farmers, lepers and other townspeople and the sets include a pottery barn, a market, a grain mill, a carpenter's shop and a stable.

"We have five or six people who interact with the visitors as they walk through the scenes," Ristow said. "We give out dates, oranges and other food items that might have been found in that time period. It's a big production, with more than 40 percent of our congregation directly involved in some way."

The church first performed A Journey Through Bethlehem two years ago. "The first year we scrambled to put it together at the last minute, even borrowing sets from other churches," Ristow said. "But the show received such a positive reaction that the congregation decided last year to do something ourselves. The reaction was really overwhelming."

Laura McNamara and her daughters attended the production last year and she plans on attending again in 2010. "We don't attend the Church, but were made to feel so welcome," McNamara said. "The whole thing really reinforced to my daughters the real meaning of Christmas. It was really a beautiful event."

Ristow says that he hopes Journey becomes a Christmas tradition in Rosemount. McNamara agrees, adding that "for all of the talk about Christmas spirit, not so many people show it around the holidays. I want to remind my daughters of that joy every year, and this will become one of our traditions."

IF YOU GO:

Where: Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 14980 Diamond Path

When: Dec. 17, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Dec. 18, 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 19, 5:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: None required.