Church Members Depict Nativity Scenes Outdoors

Armed with chemical heat packs and hot coffee, members of the King’s Chapel United Methodist Church created an outdoor nativity for worshippers who watched from the warmth of their cars.

About 100 people from the small church in New Castle, 43 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, took part in this year’s pageant, its fourth. The two-night run includes 10 tableaus along the church’s U-shaped parking lot and typically draws 800 carloads of viewers.

“The one scene that everyone wants to be in is the scene where the shepherds are, and that’s only because there’s a fire there,” coordinator Jodie Barron said.

Actors warm up in the church kitchen during breaks. One night between visitors, the multitude in Scene 8 did the chicken dance to stay warm.