'A night in Bethlehem' was a project organised by the Children's ministry at the Ballinacrow church, in Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. It involved setting up different stalls to give the children a taste of what Bethlehem was like and they followed the story of the birth of Jesus throughout.
The kids started at the city gates where they signed the census and got their bag and keyring to collect all their activities and memory verses in. Some of the stalls included: Bethlehem bakery, the carpenter shop, the metal shop, the scribes shop, the art shop, the pottery shop etc.
They finished visiting the stable and talking with Mary and Joseph. As they moved around the different stalls doing different activities they gathered up the crafts they made also a memory verse that they put on a keyring and built up the story of the birth of Jesus. They finished the day with a few party games, food and gift.
"We were so thankful for everyone who played their part so well and for the person who kindly donated all the supplies to make this activity a great success and we hope the kids will remember it for years to come", said Lorraine Rothwell, Ballinacrow Children's ministry leader.
