Nancy Bancroft
Twenty years ago the youth group at our church constructed a simple wooden manger scene to display on the front lawn of the church. The young people dressed in costume, one by one each stood in front of a bright lamp, and we traced their shadow silhouettes onto newsprint. We made patterns for each figure and determined which pieces should be cut separately from plywood.
The youth cut, sanded, stained and screwed together the plywood pieces. With different stain colors and by layering the wood, the figures became a bit more dimensional. Adding a star, a manger for Baby Jesus, a shepherd's staff, a couple sheep and a camel enhanced the scene.
I love that the figures were portrayed by the kids, and I still see Alan as a wise man and Faith as Mary. Hopefully, constructing the scene was an opportunity for the youth to better understand the Christmas story. Now, all this time later, the Wakefield Baptist Church, Wakefield, Rhode Island, still sets up its Manger on Main Street each December continuing to tell passers-by the message of God's Gift for all.
Nancy Bancroft
