By Jonathan Phelps
MANCHESTER — The three church congregations in town holding their separate Christmas Eve services tomorrow night will join together beforehand with a community-wide Christmas Eve celebration — and a live re-enactment of the birth of Christ.
The re-enactment celebration will take place tomorrow at 4 p.m., and will include a candlelit walk, carol singing and a live Nativity scene that will be set up in the garden of 32 School St., the home of Ambia Olsson Smith and her husband Kenneth.
The community event will start at the separate churches — First Parish Church, First Baptist Church and Sacred Heart Parish — where those interested in participating will pick up candles and carol sheets. Then, each church community will march with lighted candles and sing Christmas carols to the living Nativity at the School Street location.
Ambia Olsson Smith said the community came together to make the celebration possible after the First Parish Church's request to hold a live Nativity scene on the Town Common as part of the church's Christmas Eve family service was rejected by the town's selectmen in November.
Many organizations and private citizens came forward to offer to help host the Nativity scene. The Smith family's garden was chosen by event organizers because of its central location to all three churches in town, Cheshire said.
"I thought it was a travesty that our town turned the request for the live Nativity," Ambia Smith said of letting the event take place in her garden. "It was only going to be on the town green for an hour."
Along with the Smith family stepping up to host the Nativity in their garden, dozens of others offered to act in the re-enactment, built the set for the Nativity and donate supplies for this community Christmas celebration.
The original proposed "Living Nativity" for the Town Common included the roles of Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus and a donkey. Shepherds have also been added to the mix and the revitalized presentation is now expected to include two sheep and up to six goats.
The donkey — which happens to be named "Mary" — is being provided by The Dog Project and goats and sheep will be provided by the Essex Agricultural and Technical High School.
Mark Powers, Mike Naves and Charlie O'Neil built a stable and a manger yesterday to add to the scene, with lumber donated by Markham Lumber in Essex and the hardware donated by the Gloucester-based Building Center.
"This is an old town neighborhood type project that brings everyone together," Smith said. "It is something beautiful that everyone is invited to."
Caroline Cheshire, one of the Living Nativity organizers, has said the event is planned for 4 p.m. so the members of each church can make it back to their respective services in plenty of time, with First Parish Church services set for 5 p.m., Sacred Heart Parish at 5:30 p.m. and First Baptist Church at 6. After the walk-through Nativity hot chocolate and munchkins will be served.
No parking will be allowed on School Street, those interested in attending should park at Sacred Heart Parish or Town Hall parking lot.
Cheshire said she's enthusiastic about the community-wide Christmas celebration and said it has potential to become a new community tradition.
Event organizers said everyone is invited to the event and thought this would be a great way for the three churches and the town to celebrate the Christmas spirit, in that it will give all children in the community — no matter their religious background — the chance to experience the birth of Christ in a re-enactment.
"After we had that amazing response from the community," Cheshire said, "it seemed natural to turn it into a community event."
Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3447, or via e-mail at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
Living Nativity Cast
Mary: Brenna Kelley
Joseph: Eric Aldrich
Baby Jesus: Jackson Bartlett
Shepherds: Kate Cheshire, Harriet Cheshire, Stephen McIntyre, Sydney Bartlett, Seamus and Hannah Conlon, and Aaron Smith.
