Nine churches to stage free nativity drive-through Saturday

Nine Oak Ridge congregations will present a free drive-through nativity from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, December 19.

Everyone is invited to drive through the parking lots of the following churches in order, beginning with First Christian Church on the west end of town, to view scenes from the Christmas story, a press release said.

• First Christian Church, 100 Gum Hollow Road: The angel appears to Mary.
• Church of Jesus Christ LDS, 140 South Jefferson Circle: Mary visits Elizabeth.
• High Places Community Church, 123 Randolph Road: Road to Bethlehem.
• First United Methodist Church, 1350 Oak Ridge Turnpike: No room at the inn.
• St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 212 North Tulane Avenue: Nativity in stable.
• Grace Lutheran Church, 131 West Gettysburg Avenue: Angels visit the shepherds.
• First Baptist Church, 1101 Oak Ridge Turnpike: Visit of the Magi.
• First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike: Christmas at home.
• Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike: Merry Christmas.

Rory Naeve, pastor of First Baptist, conceived the idea and presented it over Zoom to members of the Oak Ridge Ministerial Association, the press release said. â€œIn this way, during the pandemic, folks can experience the nativity in a safe and distanced way from their vehicles. Passages from the Bible telling the story of the birth of Jesus will be included in the presentations. Some scenes will be traditional, and others might be a fun take on the scene.”

Naeve estimated that it will take 40 minutes to drive the route and stop briefly to appreciate the scenes at each church. Also, he said, anyone interested in donating canned goods for Oak Ridge’s food pantries can drop them off at First Baptist.

He said that drivers can find the churches by pasting this link into their web browsers: https://goo.gl/maps/AdVbZ4cJ24jpq4xb8.