NORTH AUGUSTA — After a two-year pause, Grace United Methodist Church’s Return to Bethlehem made its way back to the CSRA just in time for the Christmas season.
“It’s not Christmas without the Return of Bethlehem, to me,” said Grace United Methodist Church member Jennifer Waller, who served as the production’s casting coordinator.
Return to Bethlehem is a free, multi-day immersive event that brings the biblical story of Christ’s birth to life. Visitors can experience the event either through a drive-thru option or by walking through the recreated town with a tour guide, following Mary and Joseph as they travel to Bethlehem and welcome the birth of Jesus in a manger.
“The message is that he is our savior, and Christmas is about God sending his savior during this time, and it’s our way of celebrating his birth,” Waller said.
Return to Bethlehem has taken place since 1999 and features live actors and animals.
“Since 1999, we have had over 50,000 people who have been through Bethlehem,” Waller said.
Over the years, Waller has taken on many roles, including villager, tour guide, musician, angel and innkeeper’s wife. She said the goal of the production is to bring Bethlehem to life for the community each year.
She added that visitors are meant to feel how crowded Bethlehem was, along with the food, sounds and smells of the time.
“This was life in Bethlehem, and you went about your day,” Waller said. “Bringing that story to life and allowing people to experience as they immersive themselves in the story really helps us internalize what was really happening at that time,” Waller said.
Elisa Atkins served as the production director and began planning the event in May. She said about 800 visitors attended the first night.
“It was so cool seeing everything come to life after all the planning over the last six or seven months,” Atkins said.