St. Bridget’s ‘Bethlehem Experience’ hopes to instill ‘true meaning of Christmas’

Jane Jolliff, left, Bev Wiwi, Kelly Finch and Dianne Dudley, members of St. Bridget of Ireland Parish in Liberty, pose with items that will be used in the Bethlehem Experience the parish is sponsoring at the Union County 4-H Fairgrounds on Dec. 6. (Submitted photo)

By Natalie Hoefer

Jane Jolliff fondly remembers the time 30 years ago during Advent when she took her young children to see the city of Christ’s birth—in Ohio.

Granted, it was a re-creation of what Bethlehem looked like 2,000 years ago. But the experience made a lasting impact.

“It was so realistic and lifelike,” says Jolliff, a member of St. Bridget of Ireland Parish in Liberty. “It just gave a deeper, richer understanding of the time of Christ’s birth, a whole new appreciation of the simplicity around Christmas.”

For three decades, a desire to create a local Bethlehem experience has been building in Jolliff’s heart.

This year that desire has become a reality. With help from five other Christian faith communities, St. Bridget is sponsoring a free Bethlehem Experience at the Union County 4-H Fairground in Liberty on the evening of Dec. 6.

A project based on faith, community—and research

The event springs from two foundations of the parish’s “See the Light, Be the Light” capital campaign.

“The campaign has four pillars: financial, children, community and spiritual,” Jolliff explains. “We’re offering this [event] as part of the spiritual and community pillars.”

She heads the spiritual portion of the campaign. Her good friend and fellow parishioner Kelly Finch leads the community side.

“We’re like two peas in a pod, and we like challenges,” says Finch. “When Jane told me about the idea, I thought it was great.”

To engage the community, “We reached out to all the churches in Union County in late May to see if they wanted to participate,” says Jolliff. Four faith communities agreed, as well as one in neighboring Wayne County.

The team, including other members of St. Bridget, began planning in June.

“I had already been doing research on what was in the town of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth,” says Jolliff. “When I first started to talk about it [with the team], they saw my excitement. The further I researched and the more things we could offer, the more excited I got!”

The re-created Bethlehem will be constructed in the Union County 4-H Fairground’s cattle barn. Pop-up tents will be decorated to look like storefronts of merchants and tradesmen.

“There’ll be storefronts for tax collectors, grains, breads, basket weavers, silversmiths, carpenters, textiles, pottery and more,” says Jolliff. “There will be Roman soldiers, census takers, grape-stompers, townspeople and shepherds bringing in their sheep,” although unlike in Christ’s time, the sheep will have halters for safety, she adds.

There will be other animals as well at the Bethlehem Experience’s live Nativity scene, complete with the Holy Family and singing angels.

Jolliff has been busy sewing simple costumes appropriate to the time to enhance the authenticity. Hot chocolate and cookies will add to the festive feel.

“We’re trying to keep it simple, since this is our first year,” she says. “But we hope to expand what we offer in the future.”

Finch is on board with continuing the event.

“We want this to be a spiritual thing for people to do every year, to become a family tradition to experience Bethlehem every year.”

Showing ‘the true meaning of Christmas’

Through the months of preparation, there have been many “God moments,” say the two women.

“We might need something, and it’s like, ‘Ask and ye shall receive,’ ” says Finch.

Jolliff agrees.

“I’d say, ‘I’d like to—’ whatever it is, and someone always says, ‘We can do that’ or ‘We know someone.’ ”

She recalls the weekend she announced the project at the parish’s Sunday Mass.

“There was a family, we don’t even know where they’re from,” says Jolliff, “They donated $3,500 to the parish, and $1,000 of that is going toward the Bethlehem Experience. And these people were just visiting!”

She says she has been praying for Mary’s intercession that the project will “make people’s lives more spiritual, more authentic, and for them to realize [Christmas is] not about gifts.”

Finch agrees.

“Christmas has become so commercialized,” she says. “This is a great way to bring all of the community’s churches together. It’s a way for us to show people what the true meaning of Christmas is.

“Even if it changes one person’s perspective, it will be worth all of it.”
 

(The Bethlehem Experience will take place at the Union County 4-H Fairgrounds, 411 E. Union St., in Liberty, from 5-9 p.m. on Dec. 6. Parking is available at the fairgrounds, or visitors may park near the Liberty courthouse square for free shuttle service to the event. Entrance to the re-created town of Bethlehem will be staggered in groups roughly every 20 minutes. Dress according to the weather. The event is free, but donations are welcome. For more information, contact Jane Jolliff at 765-969-4388 or janeJolliff@hotmail.com.) †