"BREATH OF HEAVEN"

“We’re reaching the people. A Pastor of mine told me once, if you reach one person in your lifetime, and teach them the true meaning of stuff then you are doing a great job and that is what God wants us to do.”
Kathy Sklarek, Grace Lutheran Church

The congregation may not be the largest in the county but when they come together to put on a show you would think they are a company of a thousand. Oberlin Grace Lutheran Church has been presenting a Live Nativity for the past nine years and grows each year. Last year the program added younger people to the cast and Kathy Sklarek, who organizes the program, says she is thrilled with their addition. “They bring a lot of energy and that is great. In the first several years the program was all adults, we wanted to keep the program reverent but the kids have worked out great, sometimes by the end of the night the adults are getting a little more crazy then the kids.” Sklarek, in her own words “stole” this idea after seeing a Live Nativity in Fairlawn. The Fairlawn church had theirs indoors so Oberlin has stepped things up a notch in their production.

When guests arrive they are greeted at the street by musicians and other actors who direct them indoors where they are held in a staging area. Groups of 15 are then taken by a Sheppard on a journey through Bethlehem, where they first have to pay a tax collector then they visit various shop keepers in search of the baby Jesus. Then the guests meet King Herod, an Inn Keeper, an Angel, the Three Wise men and a Choir of Angels. The final stop is the manger where they see the baby Jesus, Mary & Joseph.

The program is absolutely free, although an offering of canned goods is requested that will be donated to the Oberlin Community Food Shelf. You still have one last chance to visit the Nativity this year, Sunday December 10th from 4-8.

“Families have made this a Christmas tradition, coming here and spending 15 minutes to walk through the program each year. In all the hustle of the holidays, the shopping and preparing for Christmas, people say that after visiting the Live Nativity puts everything in perspective for them at this time of the year. It helps to let you know what is really important.”

To see all photos: CLICK HERE