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Paint Lick UMC's Annual Outdoor Christmas Drama Book Released

December 10, 2004

PAINT LICK - Paint Lick United Methodist Church will hold its annual Outdoor Drama at 7 and 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and to mark the occasion, the church is offering a 300-page book that details how the drama originated.

The 30-minute production, on the parsonage lawn, takes the audience from the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she is to become the mother of the Messiah.

Mary then goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. A Roman centurion on a horse rides toward the audience and announces a census and that all men must return to the city of their birth. Mary and Joseph then make their long journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, with Mary riding on a donkey.

The innkeeper sends them to the stable, where Jesus is born. On a nearby hillside, shepherds tending their flocks also will be visited by Gabriel, followed by a multitude of angels surrounded by a swirling cloud. They, too, will go in search of the Messiah. The Wise Men from afar also journey to Bethlehem to welcome this new King who is to be the Savior of the world.

After each performance, visitors are invited into the Fellowship Hall for hot cocoa and light refreshments. (Many of the recipes for foods that have been served at this annual event and other church potlucks over the years are included in the book.)

Admission to the Outdoor Christmas Drama is free. Fire barrels are provided to help keep the audience members warm during the performances. Afterward, the community is invited inside for hot cocoa and refreshments. The drama has rarely been canceled for inclement weather, but the phone number for the church parsonage is (859) 925-4441.

Jane West, who directed the first drama and spearheaded the book project, Journey to Bethlehem, has been gathering stories and photos from church and community members and former pastors during the past year. The book includes sections on behind-the-scene preparations, the current script, and recipes used at the Drama refreshments table and at other church functions.

Copies of the book will be sold for $10 each (plus $2 shipping, if mailed). Any profits from the book, which are expected to be back from the printer's in time for this year's performances, will be put into church outreach programs.

To order copies of the book, please send your check or money order made payable to the Paint Lick United Methodist Church at 10931 Richmond Road, Paint Lick, KY 40461.

The church is halfway between Lancaster and Richmond on Ky. 52 West, about 30 miles east of Danville.

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