Broadway’s
Walk Through Bethlehem
By Sherri Blevins
Rome
was not built in a day, and it will take longer than that for Broadway Baptist
Church to build a replica of the City of Bethlehem on their church property.
Why would they do that? North Jackson Press spoke with Broadway’s Youth
Minister, John Prose, to find out about Broadway’s Walk Through Bethlehem.
Broadway Baptist Church, located at 99 McCurdy Ave. in Rainsville, Alabama, is
not a long drive for anyone in the north Alabama area.
Prose,
a native of Florida, described an upcoming event named “Walk Through
Bethlehem,” which he first experienced while growing up there. Prose has been the youth pastor at Broadway
for almost five years and serves along with his wife Kelsey and daughter Nora. He wanted north Alabama to experience the same
vivid representation of the meaning of
Christmas that he had while growing up in Florida.
He
explained what the event is, “Walk Through Bethlehem is a chance to walk
through a representation of the birth city of Jesus the week he was born. It gives us a chance to show people what
everyday life was like in Bethlehem at that time. They will smell the smells of campfires and
animal stables as well as freshly baked bread, fish, and meat markets. People will witness the cruelty of the Roman
Government, and they will experience interactions with city vendors and
citizens as they go about their jobs and explain to visitors their trade. Most importantly, people will experience the
excitement, joy, anticipation, and hope that Jesus’ birth brought to some
people and also witness the depravity of others.”
Walk
Through Bethlehem is a three-night event. On December 6 – 8, from 6:00 pm until
8:30 pm, approximately 200 people working to make the event come to life will
welcome visitors from all around the area to experience life in the City of
Bethlehem and view a drama highlighting the major events in the life of Jesus. This is an outdoor event for the entire
family. The admission is free. Groups of
ten or more might want to call the church office in advance to reserve a spot. Broadway’s number is 256-638-4219.
MVN
asked Prose about the preparations required to host such an event. He stated, “First of all, the church had to be
willing to take a step of faith to undertake the event. Many hours of prayer have gone up for the
event. So far, volunteers have spent the
last three months building the city, sewing and acquiring costumes, props, and
the other items needed to bring the city to life. People are working on memorizing lines for the
drama. Walk Through Bethlehem will
require about 100 people to operate the city, 30 people to perform in the
drama, and about 30 additional people working inside the church to welcome and
entertain visitors while they are waiting to enter the city.”
Prose
also explained why people should visit Bethlehem. He said, “If you have forgotten the meaning of
Christmas or never really understood the meaning of Christmas, Walk Through
Bethlehem could be an eye-opening experience to see what Christmas was meant to
be about, the intended purpose of it, and help you gain a better understanding
of why we celebrate Christmas. It will add more to your holiday season than
busyness, shopping, and holiday bills.”
