Auburndale Community Church Hosted Drive-Thu Nativity
by James Coulter
The Reason for the Season was on full display as Auburndale Community Church hosted a drive-thru nativity for three days before Christmas.
Every evening from Monday to Wednesday, the Auburndale church hosted a drive-thru nativity that allowed people to view the entire story of Jesus Christ, from birth to resurrection, from the safety of their car.
The outdoor performance featured countless church members dressed in Biblical garb re-enacting scenes from the Christmas Nativity and the later events in Christ’s life, including his crucifixion and resurrection.
From the comfort and safety of their vehicles, visitors could witness the Three Wise Men follow the Star of Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph watch over Baby Jesus in the manger, Jesus and his twelve disciples attend the Last Supper, Mary and Martha weeping over Jesus’ corpse taken down from the cross, and Jesus ascending into the heavens from his open tomb.
Auburndale Community Church hosted the drive-thru nativity. This year was the first that they hosted the event, though a similar event had been hosted ten to 12 years previously at another location, explained Deanna Gunner.
“We wanted to go ahead and do it this year because it seemed like the perfect time to give people something to look forward to from the safety of their car,” she said. “They could experience what our church is and do something different, [and] do something to look forward to [during the holiday season].”
On their very first night on Monday evening, even before 6:30 p.m., the church saw a line of cars waiting to pass the nativity scenes. Their event page received more than 5,000 hits, with 400 people replying that they would attend, Gunner said.
Of course, in the end, it did not matter how many people attended that evening or the other two evenings. As long as people were enjoying the holiday season during these uncertain times, and as long as they were receiving the message about the “Reason for The Season,” any turnout was a good one, Gunner said.
“No matter how many people come, it is the fact that people are coming and getting the word out and being able to experience what we have to show,” she said. “I am enjoying seeing people we don’t know coming to our church and wanting to see what we have to put on this evening. It is pretty good for them.”
