SS. Peter & Paul Church welcome public to Live Nativity

     Last year, during the COVID-19 pandemic, SS. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church outside Monticello welcomed church family and members of the community to view their outdoor Live Nativity.

     The event took the place of the church’s annual children’s Christmas program, again, because of the pandemic.

     Having had such a positive reaction to the Live Nativity, the church is hosting it again on Wednesday, Dec. 15, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

     “We think we’ll make it an annual event,” commented church member Chad Henderson, who helped to spear-head the Live Nativity last year, along with his entire family. “We felt bad we couldn’t have a church program and we thought this was something we could still do.”

     The Live Nativity allows the public to drive through the church parking lot while taking in the scene of Biblical characters and live animals.

     This year, the church will serve hot chocolate and cookies inside for those wishing to take part in some fellowship.

     “After last year, we had a ton of phone calls and questions from a lot of different people about bringing the Nativity back,” shared Pastor Holly Knouse.

     “We had people show up from Anamosa and Cedar Rapids and everywhere in between,” added Henderson. “People we didn’t even know…”

     While the Live Nativity this year takes the place of the church’s Wednesday evening children’s education, Knouse said they are all looking forward to bringing the Christmas program back.

     Hosting the free outdoor event last year, Knouse said the church didn’t know what to expect, whether they’d see five or 50 cars show up.

     Henderson said it is not a labor-intensive event to put on for the community. The church has the costumes that are worn by the children. The Henderson family supplies the live animals: a cow, a donkey, and sheep.

     “My wife loves weird animals and I love my wife,” joked Henderson.

     Knouse said many families remarked last year about how excited their kids were seeing the live animals as part of the Nativity.

     “They enjoyed seeing the animals right in front of them, up close and personal,” she added. “Not many kids have seen a donkey or sheep up close.”

     Last year, the roles of the Nativity characters were thanks to the Hendersons and the Chad Kromminga family.

     “We’ll include more kids this year,” offered Henderson.

     “We anticipate a few more families helping inside and out,” offered Knouse.

     Both said the Live Nativity last year helped to put people in the Christmas spirit, knowing that it was hard for some to gather with family and friends.

     “We want to provide an experience that is meaningful,” said Knouse. “This is something every Christian is familiar with and excited to see. It doesn’t matter your denomination and whether you attend church or not. The story means something.”

     SS. Peter and Paul Lutheran Church is located at 21069 Prairie Hill Rd.