Living Nativity at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 12/19
It is the season to be jolly, and Christmas is in the air around Olney. It is easy to fall into the Holiday spirit with events such as the Olney Chamber’s Mistletoe Market and the Keep Olney Beautiful Christmas Spectacular. However, Christmas in Olney would not be Christmas without Cumberland Presbyterian Church’s Living Nativity Sunday, Dec. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the south side of the building located at 210 S. Avenue M and Cactus Lane. You may drive by or park and view for free.
Every year, Cumberland Presbyterian Church presents the Living Nativity as a gift to the community to remind us why we celebrate Christmas. Watching volunteers portray the night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem brings the Christmas celebration into focus.
Cumberland Presbyterian Church member Clifton Key said the Nativity began in 1962 when they moved to the new church.
“Neva McClatchey’s mother, Winnie Dunagan Evans, started the living Nativity. Her sister, who grew up in the church, lived north of Corpus and got the idea from where she lived. It was originally on the east side of the building when it started, which has a flat roof that allowed the Angels to climb on top of the building. For safety reasons, we discontinued the angels on the roof. So now we’ve moved it to the south side on Cactus Avenue,” Key said. “The robes the volunteers wear came from the Masonic Lodge and could be dated back to World War II or earlier.”
Organizer Carla Inge said she had been involved since 2011, and she is responsible for recruiting participants from the community and school. She said there is a lot of excitement behind the scenes to ensure a smooth presentation, especially when the Nativity used to last for two hours during a three-night period. Now, it is held for 90 minutes on one night.
“The Nativity is one of Olney’s Christmas traditions, and it’s important because Jesus is the reason for the season. So when you drive by, stop and think about the real meaning of Christmas. We all get in such a rush; we sometimes get away from the true purpose,” Inge said.