For as long as Delmarva can remember, the Lynnhaven Baptist Church has held ‘Walk Through Bethlehem’ every December.
This Pocomoke City, Md. tradition will begin Dec. 11 and run Dec. 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 from 6 p.m.-9 p.m with free admission.
Karen Sallac, church secretary at Lynnhaven Baptist Church, says this event is the church’s gift to the community for them to come out and experience Christmas in a different way.
The ‘Walk Through Bethlehem’ event is a recreated Town of Bethlehem built and put together by volunteers of the Lynnehaven Baptist Church. According to Sallac, volunteers started construction back in October and have worked every Saturday until now.
In this recreation, there are Bethlehem buildings, towns with shops, mangers, stables and more with volunteers dressed in biblical clothing accompanied by real-life animals. This beloved recreation allows visitors to not only walk-through the scene, they become apart of the play.
When people come they are taken through Bethlehem in groups with a guide. The guide interacts with those involved in Bethlehem and the group ends at the manger inside by the cross where they tell the finishing story. After the story, guests are guided to the Fellowship Hall and are offered hot chocolate, hot cider and cookies.
Each year, Sallac says about 3-4 thousand people come through ‘Walk Through Bethlehem.’ Church organizers say throughout the years, they have seen over 25,000 people.
With the high volume of people, Sallac says to be prepared to wait in line and to dress warm!
Bethlehem
Situated on the southern portion in the Judean Mountains, the city is located northeast of Gaza and the Mediterranean Sea, west of Amman, Jordan, southeast of Tel Aviv, Israel and south of Jerusalem.
The canonical gospels of Luke and Matthew both describe Jesus as born in Bethlehem in Judea, to a virgin mother. In the Gospel of Luke account, Joseph and Mary travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, and Jesus is born there and laid in a manger.
