Las Posadas: Our Christmas Pageant
On Christmas Eve, our children and youth presented "Las Posadas" as this year's Christmas Pageant. The traditional Posada has its characters act out of the struggle of Mary and Joseph to find lodging in Bethlehem. The cast in the version we presented is enlarged through history to include many who have struggled to find a safe place to live: a Pilgrim, a Hungarian Jewish girl fleeing the concentration camps, a Vietnamese boatperson fleeing that country after the fall of Saigon, a slave about to try to escape from a plantation in South Carolina, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan who fled for hundreds of miles to escape the war in his country, a Katrina refugee from New Orleans about to attempt to go home when she has none left, a Zambian boy living with many others who are orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, and a desperately poor Mexican boy who is about to make a second attempt at the dangerous desert crossing into the US. During their journey, the growing group seeking safety is turned away repeatedly. At the end, all find a welcome at the front of the church in "La Posada of God's place of safety and peace." This play was adapted from "Las Posadas: on the Road with Mary and Joseph" by Rev Barbara Dorr-Peacock, co-pastor at South Mountain Community Church in Phoenix. (The full version is available on the UCC website.) We thank all our children and youth who starred in the presentation, Nodie Murphy who helped us work out the music, Aaron Carter-Cohn who provided piano accompaniment, John Goff for helping us set up, and the whole congregation for joining in the singing so central to this presentation. (And thanks to anyone who I left out of this list!) Jennifer Howicz and Liz Nash coordinated the pageant. -- Liz Nash
Jacob McFerrin Lighting the Christmas Candle, Noah Binford reading the text.
Back Row: Jeffrey Lemley, Annie Nash, Alex VandeStadt and Becky Nash
Front Row: Katie Lemley and Emily Howicz
Emily Binford, Alex VandeStadt and Becky Nash
Katie Lemley as a Pilgrim
Katie Lemley as Hungarian Jewish Woman
Emily Binford as a Vietnamese Boat woman.
The Travelers at last find a place to stay. Left to right: Alex VandeStadt, Katie Lemley, Becky Nash, Jacob McFerrin, Emily Binford, Noah Binford, Megan Goff, Cameron Goff, Giovanni Fracasso.
The Entire Cast, L. to R. Back to Front: Annie Nash, Jeff Lemley, Noah Binford, Megan Goff, Cameron Goff, Emily Howicz, Lilly McFerrin, Jacob McFerrin, Giovanni Fracasso, Emily Binford, Katie Lemley, Alex VandeStadt and Becky Nash
Friends and Family look on as Cara and Jim Firestone Present baby Gavin for Baptism
Rev. Tom VandeStadt Baptises Gavin Firestone.
Former members Gary and Judy Cole, Pat and Mel Oakes, Heather Cole and her friend Hans Liebing--the Coles were in town from San Antonio and came to the church carol service and open house after the service.
Gail Christeson and John Goff admire the new stonework that has been done on the side of the sanctuary
