A trip all the way to Bethlehem was not necessary for Michiana residents wishing to catch a peek at what the first Christmas looked like, in fact, the trip was as close as Niles.
The Niles-Buchanan YMCA and Real Life Church joined together to host a live nativity Sunday night. Over 500 people stopped by the scene featuring not only actors dressed like Mary, Joseph and the Wise Men, but live camels and donkeys as well.
Jared Eckerley, Pastor “Everybody's been very positive and there's just a feel about the place,” said Jared Eckerley, pastor at Real Life Church, “Everybody's come in and just been excited about the evening. The luminaries are all the way up through town and there's just been an excitement in the air.”
Real Life Church plans to do another live nativity next year with long term goals of setting up a miniature Bethlehem complete with shops and scenes spanning an entire street.
