Bethlehem Walk Celebrates the True Spirit of Christmas

on Jamerson Road invites everyone to a reenactment of the City of Bethlehem 2,000 years ago on the night Jesus was born at Bethlehem.

Each night of Bethlehem Walk is a 2-acre interactive play where visitors can walk through the city’s streets and talk with the potter or the baker. People can see Roman soldiers open the city and watch the changing of the tower guards at the city gates. Visitors can listen as the storyteller weaves tales of the heroes of old and sign the census to show they were there.

The annual production involves more than 175 church members and area volunteers who begin setting up the “City of Bethlehem” in the week after Thanksgiving and play the roles of the people who populated the city on the night of Christ’s birth. Admission is free, but contributions to the missions of Mountain View are encouraged. 

The reenactment takes place 7 – 9 p.m. on Dec. 3, 4, 9, and 10. The preschool morning performance is Friday, Dec. 9 from 9:30 a.m. - noon.  

“For 20 years, Mountain View has recreated the shops, the townspeople, the census takers, the Roman soldiers, all going about their business while an unnoticed miracle takes place in a small corner of the city,” said Rev. Bill Burch, senior pastor at Mountain View UMC. “This wonderful holiday event provides everyone with a superb opportunity experience the goodness of the season with our neighbors and the members of our congregation.”  

“Bethlehem Walk is a signature Christmas event is open to everyone,” said Roger Patterson, longtime Mountain View member and Bethlehem Walk organizer. “It is a walk-through experience that simulates the town of Bethlehem at the time of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.”  

For more information or to volunteer or participate, please email mvumcbw@gmail.com.  

Mountain View United Methodist Church originated with a group of 12 people attending services at the La Petit Academy in Marietta. Their goal was to start a community church that would become a larger home for people in north Cobb County and south Cherokee County. The vision caught fire in the community, and the group eventually purchased land at Jamerson Road and Trickum Road. The church’s construction was started in 1986. Today, the church continues to grow and welcomes all persons to visit our church. Mountain View United Methodist Church is a friendly church whose members share open hearts, open minds and open doors.