Young children from schools in the Taunton area have been ‘journeying to Bethlehem’ on a farm in Kingston St Mary. 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.
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.
Melanie Schollar, Year one and two Class Teacher at Creech St Michael Primary School said, “Our children really enjoyed it, and it definitely brought the nativity story alive for them. The children have a much better and lasting understanding of events and the meaning behind it.
“We had some very interesting comments on our return to school - including about how harsh life was. The children were particularly excited to see baby Jesus.”
As all the people involved stay in character throughout the children’s visit, the youngsters begin to believe and understand all that they see. They jump when the tax collector appears suddenly and demands they pay their taxes, they are shocked when the Inn Keeper turns them away, and as they enter the darkness of the stable, and see the young baby in the manger, the children begin to understand the difficult journey Mary and Joseph encountered, and the humble start Jesus had.
Andy Levett, who ‘doubled’ as Joseph for the two days, said, “it was so good to be part of it, and to see so much awe and wonder in the children – some of their mouths couldn’t have been wider as they walked into the stable.”
