April 26, 2024
DALLAS, Ga. – For the first time since 2019, Legacy Baptist Church is once again preparing to bring to life the village of Bethlehem. Guests to the Legacy of Bethlehem event during the weekend of Dec. 9-11 will encounter villagers, Roman guards, live animals and ultimately, the Savior.
This is Pastor Ryan Vargas’s first experience with the production. Vargas came to Legacy Baptist Church in November 2020. That year and the next, the event was canceled due to COVID.
The challenge, Vargas explains, “is hosting such a large event with multiple moving parts, especially after not doing it for the last 3 years.”
The elaborate immersive experience requires close to 300 volunteers to pull off. These include actors, animal handlers, seamstresses, construction workers, and many more.
In 2020, when the church canceled the live event, a film was made. A free showing was presented that year at the Dallas Theater in downtown Dallas, and again in 2021. This year, the theater will show the film on Dec. 19.
Vargas says his greatest hope for Legacy of Bethlehem is, “that as people make their way through the different elements of the city, there would be a renewed sense of awe and wonder as they contemplate the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ.”
Due to the uncertain nature of the weather predicted for the weekend, live updates will be posted to the church’s Facebook page.
Visitors can find additional information about the Legacy of Bethlehem at their website: https://thelegacyofbethlehem.com/
