December 14, 2005
Taste of Bethlehem feast for the senses
Church event features food, music, animals
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Transforming their Great Room into a scene from Biblical times, members of the First Christian Church hosted A Taste of Bethlehem Saturday.
The event was a feast for the senses as the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of 2,005 years ago came to life. Palm trees loomed over dozens of striped tents as men, woman and children moved around in dress from the era. Vendors stalls offering foods eaten around the time of Jesus' birth, including figs, dates, hummus, pita bread, olives, feta cheese, baklava, bread and fish. Traditional craftspeople demonstrated basket weaving and beading while other vendors sold honey, body lotions and oil lamps.
Oversized murals depicting ancient scenes and architecture lined the walls of the room, while dim lights and a range of music boosted the historical atmosphere.
"This gets you in the Christmas spirit," said Rachel Throop, a junior at Traverse City Central High School who had a beading booth at the event. "Because of the whole Biblical theme, it really brings back the whole spirit of Christmas. I think it really looks a lot like the Bible."
The third year of A Taste of Bethlehem, this is the first time the church opened it to the public. More than 600 people attended during the six hours Saturday afternoon and evening, a mix of church members, family and friends, members of other churches and people who do not attend church regularly.
Reaching this broad range of attendees with the Christmas message was the goal of the event, noted Evan Williams, pastor of the church.
"We just wanted to reach out in ways to people to help them to be open to the blessings of Christ, and that's for anybody," said Williams, who joined the church as pastor in April. "We do see it as reaching out to people who may not have church home, but our emphasis is not, 'Who's going to come to First Christian?' but, 'Who's going to lift up Christ and celebrate Christ?'¡"
Drawing on their experience in previous years, members of the church worked for months to get ready for this much larger event. The previous two years, they held A Taste of Bethlehem in their fellowship hall but this year, anticipating a good public response, moved it to the large Great Hall.
Volunteers transformed the oversized room into a Middle Eastern Bazaar, complete with a live Nativity scene at one end. An adjoining classroom featured a manger, where shepherds in costume watched over sheep and goats.
"It's a very unifying event, that's for sure, because the whole church has to work together," said Amanda Chappel, who along with her husband, Matt, staffed a booth offering fruit and Middle Eastern delicacies.
A Taste of Bethlehem began two years ago as a gathering after the church's Christmas program and was a huge hit with church members.
"The congregation just loved it so we decided to bump it up a notch," LeAnne Sleder, event coordinator this year and a member of the hospitality committee that three years ago began the program. "We had more booths, more food and live animals the next year; then we thought, 'OK, this is something we can share with the community."
Eight committees helped Sleder put on the production, working for months on everything from decorations and finding vendors to costumes and music. A team researched and tested recipes and foods from the era, an aspect of the festivities that has grown every year.
"We've picked up some cookbooks and there's some dishes we're going to experiment with throughout the year," she said looking ahead to 2006.
Also on her radar for next year: a live camel. In addition to this year's donkey, sheep and goats, Sleder has a line on a camel that lives on a farm downstate.
"I'm crossing my fingers, I've already made my contacts," she said.