HADLEY — While Bethlehem in the Holy Land saw weather in the 70s over the weekend, members of the First Congregational Church in Hadley broke through snow and ice for its reenactment of the birth of Christ.
The church staged its Christmas pageant with actors and live animals on its front steps Sunday, drawing a crowd of some 75 people.
A narrator told the story while a donkey brayed and lambs bleated. A neighbor walking her dog stopped and watched.
Mary was “great with child” at the time, according to the biblical account, and with no room at the inn, she gave birth to Jesus in a manger.
Children from the congregation played all the roles, including Mary and Joseph, who traveled to Bethlehem so they could be counted for the census ordered by Roman emperor Caesar Augustus.
The pageant replaced the church’s morning service, moving outdoors to proclaim the faith to everyone who walked and drove through the intersection of Massachusetts Route 9 and Middle Street.
“I think it’s important for us to share and be on the front steps of the church,” said Diana West, chairperson of the church’s Board of Christian Education.
“It’s a very popular intersection. Even if you’re not stopping, you’re seeing that it’s happening, and you know we are here doing Sunday morning services and sharing the word of God and the very important story of the birth of Jesus,” she said.
The tradition of the live nativity dates back more than five decades, according to church leaders. It was always inside until the pandemic forced everyone to the front steps where it has stayed since.
No one was complaining about sitting in cold steel chairs, the breeze or bone chilling temperature.
“It brings the church together, young and old,” said Lila West, the pageant’s writer and director. “At first, I wasn’t sure if folks would be up for sitting outside, and every year people show up. That tells me it’s important to continue this tradition.”
There are chances and risks the come with a live performance. Organizers remember the time baby Jesus screamed through the entire 30-minute production. There once was a donkey that wouldn’t budge and a cow that insisted on walking in circles.
They were taking no chance with the baby this year, said Sarah Stone, 16, who played Mary.
“My nephew is baby Jesus, so I get to hold him and that’s more secure for him because he cries a lot,” she said.
All of the animals come from local farms. Caitlin Willard handled the miniature donkey and horse.
“I make sure everybody behaves and things go smoothly,” she said. “It can be challenging with live animals, especially on main roads if they get spooked.”
Part of the allure is the imperfection children and live animals bring to the performance, said West, the director. It is mostly flawless, but animals are the biggest wild card.
“It’s a nice chance to come together and celebrate the imperfection of life. I used to think I needed the whole pageant to be just so. I’ve realized it’s a lot more realistic and fun when it just happens,” West said.
Their pageant is never rehearsed. Each year, actors simply show up, organizers assign roles, and the production goes on. Cast members don’t even have to be members of the church. People could find themselves walking by one minute and then quickly onstage playing one of the three wise men, or another role.
The pageant is as much about community as it is a spiritual event.
Ruth Mackenzie and her husband recently moved to Hadley from Boston. They are not members of the church, but Ruth came anyway because she saw a small sign advertising the performance.
“I enjoy coming to something that is a community event,” she said. “It’s nice to get to know the community in different ways.”
Diana West and her sister Lila West are lifelong members of the First Congregational Church. In fact, they say their ancestors help found it in 1659. Today, they are working from a script handed down from their mother. It has been revised to include more singing, less acting and a narrator.
There is not much else that can be done to tweak a story that comes from the Bible, other than to honor its rich tradition.
“The thing for me about church is the heritage I have with it and the overall church family, feeling that connection to my ancestors, to my family and to my personal history,” said Diana West. “Growing up in the church was an absolutely wonderful experience.”
