Living Nativity draws 2,000 cars

By Shanna Fortier
| 5:00 a.m. December 21, 2011

Julie and Issac Hackler, with their son, Jacob, play Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the birth scene.

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

By the carful, residents who attended the drive-through Living Nativity at Parkview Baptist Church were greeted with the sounds of angels, followed by the stern look of a Roman guard. This was no ordinary Nativity.

It was a drive through the city of Bethlehem, complete with 13 scenes and live animals.

In three nights, 2,000 cars drove through the city, which took 100 volunteers per night to create.

But that’s not all; in conjunction with the Nativity, the church also hosted its annual Wise Man Gift Exchange, which helped 130 families and 300 kids find gifts for the holidays.

“We want to be community-outreach oriented, a neighborhood church,” said Derek Overton, worship pastor. “When people hear our name, we want it to have a good connotation.”

Parkview Baptist will hold Christmas Eve services 3, 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24.

For more service times, visit www.PalmCoastObserver.com.