WACO, TX – Members of a Waco church braved the frigid temperatures over the weekend to share the story of the birth of Jesus in a live Nativity scene including actors and animals from camels to donkeys and sheep.
The drive-thru event was Saturday and Sunday evening at Waco’s Community Fellowship Church on Valley Mills Drive.
“We just love being able to share the story of Jesus Christ and his birth with our community to reach out to have a wonderful opportunity to share with the neighborhood and the people here in Waco,” Senior Pastor Jonathan Leonard said.
This is Leonard’s first year as pastor at the church, but he says the tradition has been a church favorite for the past two decades.
He and his wife Eilene were taken aback by the response.
“I thought it was incredible,” he said.
“It exceeded my expectations. I thought it was a fantastic event.”
Singers greeted visitors who then drove past 11 different scenes that told the story of Jesus’ birth and included large Bible verses.
The temperatures were frigid and the winds picked up Sunday evening as a cold front blew through the area, but that didn’t deter the actors, who ranged in age from 7 to 70.
“Our kids in it and other kids are a part of it as well as some of our senior citizens and everybody in between so it’s a real awesome team event,” Leonard said.
The animals were brought in from Texas Camel Corps in Valley Mills.
More than 1,100 people came out over two days.
