Pupils from 7 different schools in Bath and Wells have been ‘journeying to Bethlehem’ on farms across the diocese. From the minute the primary school pupils arrived on the farm they encountered a world similar to the one Mary and Joseph experienced as they travelled to Bethlehem and sought somewhere to stay.
Mrs A Hart, Year 2 teacher, Curry Mallet, shared how much the children had enjoyed following the journey of Mary and Joseph, “The trip was a great way for the children to experience the incarnation story, they really enjoyed seeing the animals and the ‘actors’ made it engaging and light-hearted, the journey around the farm made it exciting for the children.”
Volunteer actors from local churches played the part of all the characters from the nativity story, such as shepherds, angels, the Inn Keeper, Tax Collector and Mary and Joseph. The children followed a set path around the farm meeting the different characters until they arrived at the stable, and there in the darkness they encountered a young couple with a baby – Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.
Outreach worker, Jess James, who joined the team at a farm in Withycombe said it was a wonderful experience for the children and for the adults too, “A number of us gathered at a farm in Withycombe, we had workers and volunteers from across various churches in West Somerset, it was a real ecumenical and community affair.
“The children were absolutely enthralled by the whole thing, they listened really well, loved taking part in the census, were shocked by the tax collectors and enjoyed knocking on the inn doors to see if there was any room, before making their way to the stable to sing Away in a Manger to baby Jesus.”
They were thoughts echoed by Alison Horsey who coordinated the Staple Farm day, “It was a very blessed day – the contractors even opened the scheduled road closure just for our minibuses so everyone had their scheduled 40 minutes on the farm and didn’t miss out on anything. We are very grateful that we had the chance to be involved because it was wonderful, and we will look forward doing it again in the future.”