Mechanic Grove Church of the Brethren, 1392 Robert Fulton Highway, Quarryville, will host its third annual Journey to the Nativity re-enactment on Saturday, Dec. 17, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. The holiday activity will be free to attend, but guests are encouraged to bring donations in the form of canned goods or gift cards, which the church will deliver to Solanco Neighborhood Ministries' food bank.

Upon arrival, a church member will greet attendees, and give a brief introduction to the activity and lead guests to a gathering area to wait for the journey to begin. Participants in the event will be assigned to different groups, which will take turns walking through the re-enactment. Groups will keep warm by a campfire and share cider, hot chocolate, cookies and Christmas stories as they wait for their turn.

A leader will take the groups to the first scene, depicting the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary and Joseph that they will bear a child. Mary and Joseph then embark on their journey with their donkey.

The next scene will depict the Holy Family arriving in Bethlehem and being denied a room at the inn, after which the group will walk to the field behind the church to witness the shepherds and their animals receiving the news from the angels of Christ's birth. During the final scene, the three kings will invite guests to join them and follow the star of Bethlehem to the Nativity scene. Each scene will include narration and conclude with a song.

"I wanted to create ambience," said Diane Herr, who started the Journey to the Nativity at Mechanic Grove three years ago. "I want people to feel like they're on that journey with the Holy Family to Bethlehem."

Herr began the holiday re-enactment after she noticed people weren't able to go to church as much due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the churches that were still open had limited space. "It seemed like we were losing touch. I thought, 'There has to be something we can do,'" said Herr. She began researching what it would take to have a live, interactive Nativity event at the church with the help of her six committee members.

Herr's idea was emphatically received by the community. Actors volunteered to play the roles of shepherds, angels and the Holy Family, and the committee acquired the live animals needed to make the activity feel authentic. "There's no way I could have done it myself," said Herr. "It's been an amazing experience."