Our FIRST Live Nativity

This is not the Confederate Air Force.  Just too DC3s permanently grounded by age and cannibalization near the town of Lehigh Acres. We were driving through the country near Alva, Florida and they just appeared around a curve.  You never know what you’ll find when you travel on new roads.

Like this produce stand just north of Alva on state route 78.  Kathy and her husband sell local produce and Plant City strawberries.  Yes, Florida strawberries are IN.  Still a little expensive but we splurged and built our own 

                                     ice cream sundaes for lunch today.

After lunch we walked over to the Old Alva Library, across from the church. This is the first library in South Florida.  Today it’s the town museum, and Joyce greeted us there and walked us through this small town gem. They’ve just received a grant to reconstruct the building as it was in 1900.

Its here that we saw the flower for which Alva is named, though we have yet to see one that is not a painting or a dried remnant of the original.

And Associate Pastor Joey, the Church Cat

Then it was time for the big event.  The Live Nativity, first ever drive by experience, presented by Alva UMC. We performed today with five separate stations with a narrator at each one. Mary is greeted by Gabriel; Mary and Joseph on the road; shepherds and angels; the manger scene; the three kings.

  

There were about 25 performers, mostly in silence but each station had its own CD player offering appropriate music.

I had volunteered to help out and found they needed a Joseph to be with Mary in the stable scene. Mary (Sierra, wife of Brandon, who grew up in Alva UMC, for two years now) and I kneeled, sat, squatted, scrunched around our doll baby Jesus for almost the entire three hours, 5 to 8 pm. I, and Sierra, are stiff.

We all do this again on Wednesday from 1 to 3pm.  I think its neater though when done as we did it tonight, in the dark, under appropriate lighting.  And probably better without the under 7 year old angels and shepherds.  Maybe.

But the 60 families who drove through loved it and asked us repeatedly to offer it again next year.  

Well, asked Alva UMC to offer it.  Who knows where next Christmas will find us?

-Ken