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December is the perfect time to plan a holiday event, bring your small church family together, and give your church the opportunity to share the message of Christmas with a walk-through experience. 

Desiring to go beyond the normal concerts and candlelight services, three small churches, who are part of our Creative Solutions For Small Churches Facebook community, stepped out and hosted unique Bethlehem walk-through events.

Choose The Activities Based On Your Volunteers

Imagine how exciting it could be to invite your community to have a glimpse of what it must have felt like in the town of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Participants get to hear the sounds of the busy streets and interact with the vendors in the marketplace, smell and taste the foods of the day, and perhaps get to make a craft to take home as a reminder of the experience. 

There are all sorts of elements you can incorporate into these events based on your space, budget, pool of volunteers, and creativity. The sky’s the limit to what you can do!

Some churches have live animals in ‘stalls’, and kids love the chance to pet the animals. Another church may offer booths to take family photos. Others may have stations set up to represent the story of Christmas. They may include Gabriel’s announcement of the birth to Mary, the manger scene, and the shepherds bowing in worship. 

Live music, trios, or choirs can enhance the atmosphere at this event. Some churches may serve hot cocoa and cookies on the way out of the event. It can provide a nice way to engage with guests before they exit. The Bethlehem walk-through experience can be flexible and hosted outside, inside, or even a combination of the two! 

The most important part of every event is to share the message of the hope and promise of a new life in Jesus Christ!

Just Imagine What God Could Do

Imagine the power this program might have in the lives of those who come to participate in the walk-through experience. The impact of your senses stirred by experiencing firsthand the bustling sounds of the streets, the sights of Biblical characters in costumes to the sudden silence and simplicity of a baby lying in the manger. The truth of the Son of God, Emmanuel, coming to earth often leaves many amazed and even tearful.

Read three stories from churches like yours, who used this creative outreach to enhance their Christmas season. See how each one put their own twist on the event, and the light of Jesus shined through each one!

From The Nativity To An Empty Tomb

Jill Graves’ small church hosts an interactive Bethlehem marketplace where guests move through the marketplace and participate in different related activities. Guests are invited to walk through a series of stations where the story of Christ’s life is shared. 

Their experience begins with the nativity and birth of Jesus and concludes with a scene of the empty tomb. For their very powerful end, the pastor shares the Gospel message right there in front of the empty tomb. Talk about a living illustration! 

Nativity Scene With Live Animals

The small church where Michelle Nash attends puts a huge effort into their Bethlehem walk-through experience. They include the Nativity scene complete with animals. The children especially love this addition, and it certainly adds to the ‘sights and sounds’ of the evening! 

Michelle says several of the church attendees volunteer to be in costume; they help guide guests through the event. At their marketplace booths, they include Biblical period foods for another yummy layer of interaction. 

They broaden the scope of their event and invite the local high school choir to sing Christmas carols. This gives her church a great connection opportunity to their neighborhood school, and it provides wonderful music for the guests! This must be a memorable family event for the people in Michelle’s town.

Small Town Churches Unite for Bethlehem Event

Michael and Amy Sims’ church put a completely different twist on this idea when they hosted their ‘Walk to Bethlehem’ event. Several churches in their community united together to share the message of Christ. This event is a way to build relationships within the Christian community in your town and provides combined resources to host the best event possible!

Church members and visitors alike are directed to meet at the first church to begin their Walk To Bethlehem. As guests arrive, they are divided into small groups. Guests hear an introduction to the Christmas message, the story of Mary hearing the news of the upcoming birth. The crowd meets the first group of characters in the nativity story. Volunteers from all the churches get the opportunity to dress in period costumes and interact with the crowd. A really fun way to serve the Lord at Christmas time!

When the first part of the story is finished, groups are directed to continue on their ‘walk’ to the next church. This Walk to Bethlehem event takes the participants on a journey from church to church throughout the community. At each stop, there is another portion of the nativity story read from the Bible, the singing of a hymn, and the introduction of more characters who had an important role in the first Christmas story.

By the end of the walk, the participants have met each character in the nativity passage and have heard the complete Christmas story. What a creative way to share the gospel message! As an added bonus, relationships are built between the guests as they Walk To Bethlehem. Also, relationships between the participating churches are strengthened! What a great celebration of Christmas together!

Add A Fun Twist To Your Event

As you have just read, these kinds of events can be tailor-made to fit your small church’s personality and vision. Don’t be afraid to add a fun twist or an unexpected aspect to your Christmas event, like the High School choir addition! Remember, you want your small church to make a lasting impression on your community. You want them to talk about their experience at your event to others!

Help Your Event Stand Out From Others

Try one of these suggestions to help make your event stand out:

  • Host your event on multiple nights and let each night focus on a specific target audience, for example:
    • Children’s Night includes ornament-making stations
    • Cookie Night includes a cookie-decorating station
    • Christmas carol sing-along night offers a time singing carols with a guitarist around a campfire
  • Host a Date Night. While couples do the walk-through experience, adults and your youth group provide babysitting as a gift. Have a pre-registration system so you can limit your spaces. Set up a reception area for your couples with charcuterie boards, desserts, and a fancy Christmas punch.
  • Invite special needs families for an evening with sensory-filled stations, calming music, and activities focused on sharing the story while avoiding overstimulation. Ask some special needs teachers at your local school for advice and ideas to create a fun and pleasant environment to help these families and those with differing abilities feel welcomed and loved!
  • Invite the audience to participate in the telling of the story at certain stations of the walk-through experience. Volunteers can read scripture passages. Ahead of time, ask some guests to dress up as a character and act out the part as it’s read. Ask a family from your church to lead the crowd in a Christmas carol.
  • Plan a candle-lighting ceremony at the conclusion of your event for a moving impact. Please remember safety rules when dealing with young children. 
  • If you have the resources, set up a hayride to travel through the streets of your Bethlehem for guests to experience the event from the comfort of a wagon all wrapped up in a blanket! What fun!

Ask Your Creative People To Help 

Brainstorm with your small church ministry team and see what ideas you can come up with! When we ask others to give ideas, we show we value their contributions to the team and build them up. As we do this, we can encourage them to want to be part of the next event!

Reach Out To Your Community This Christmas

Christmas is the perfect time of year to reach out to your community. We know people are more open to the gospel message and an invitation to church than at any other time of the year! Let’s give families an activity that’s fun and fulfilling at the same time. Consider some other events that might fit your church, like a Christmas Caroling party!

As followers of Jesus, we have the best gift of all, a transformed life and the light of His love in our souls! Let’s take this opportunity to share the light of Jesus with those around us and make their season bright this Christmas!

Read More:

Creative Christmas Outreach With A Live Nativity

Your Favorite Small Church Christmas Outreach Ideas

Christmas Ideas For Outreach And Connection