Community Nativity display opens Thursday
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald More than 400 Nativity scenes will be on display Thursday through Saturday at the Community Nativity at the Moses Lake LDS church.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald More than 400 depictions of the Nativity are expected to be on display at the Community Nativity, Thursday through Saturday at the LDS Church in Moses Lake.
Cheryl Schweizer/Columbia Basin Herald Nativity scenes of almost every kind of material, from wood to yarn, will be on display at the Community Nativity Thursday through Saturday at the Moses Lake LDS church.
MOSES LAKE — Nativity scenes in every material from wood to porcelain, from countries around the world, will be on display Thursday through Saturday at the Moses Lake LDS church, 1515 S. Division Ave.
The church will be open from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.
“We have 423 Nativities registered,” said organizer Lora Cook. This is the fourth year the church has filled its gym with Nativity scenes.
There are hand-carved wood Nativity scenes, Nativities from scrap metal, Nativities in glass and etched glass, fabric, yarn, ceramics. “We have Nativities from all over the world, which makes it really fun.” The displays include Nativity scenes from Ghana and Mexico, the Philippines, Latin America, the Czech Republic. “We have a lot of new ones, too,” Cook said.
Russelyn Law brought her entire collection. “I think I have 13.” And “they all have their own story.”
The handcrafted porcelain set was a wedding gift from a family friend. One was a gift from her mother-in-law and she made the set featuring wooden blocks and beads. The set featuring moose in all the roles was a gift from a friend.
“I love it,” Law said of the Nativity display. “I look forward to it every year.”
Roland Gonzales has donated his large, elaborate porcelain Nativity scene for display every year. “I enjoy doing this.” The Nativity scene is so big it get its own table in the gym. It’s almost too big to display properly at home, he said, and that’s one reason it’s so much fun to bring it to church.
“I really enjoy the Nativities,” he said.
Live music is scheduled along with the displays, choirs from local churches and other musical groups. There’s a handbell choir too, performing at 6 p.m. Friday. A live Nativity (Joseph and Mary, if not the sheep and cows) as well.
Activities are scheduled for children, including games, coloring and crafts. There’s a dress-up photo booth also.
“We just invite the whole community,” Cook said. The story of the Nativity is central to the faith for all Christians, she said. “That’s what Christmas is all about.”
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.