Walking Nativity
The Walking Nativity returns for another year this Christmas, telling the story of the birth of Jesus in a dramatic, interactive presentation on a short route through Haverhill town centre. As part of the Christmas Fun Day planned for the town on Saturday 2nd December, members of Haverhill and District Churches together will be donning their costumes and rehearsing their lines to bring the Christmas story to life on our very own streets.
The story begins in Haverhill Methodist Church at 12pm, when everyone is invited to dress up as their favourite nativity character, whether that is a shepherd, sheep, angel or star. It continues as everyone joins the walk outside to meet our friendly and very obedient donkey, who leads us on to the Market Square. There are plenty more characters to meet along the way, and carols to get everyone in the festive spirit.
‘This is a great event for all the family,’ says the Revd Max Drinkwater, priest-in-charge of St Mary’s, Haverhill and chair of the local Churches Together association. ‘It is a chance to remind ourselves of the very real and relatable world that Jesus was born into, a place where he struggled to find shelter and food, a place where he was rejected by the people he thought would help but welcomed by the most unlikely of neighbours. These are things that people today are facing, and Christmas is a chance for us to remember that Jesus brings us light and love so that we can celebrate, whatever our own circumstances.’
The whole event lasts for about an hour and finishes in St Mary’s Church, where there will be free gifts for children and refreshments available for all. There are plenty of photo opportunities along the way, including a nativity board where participants can see what they would have looked like bedded down in the stable.
Haverhill Sings
Churches Together are also providing the choir for Haverhill Sings, carols and music for the switch-on event in Market Square later that afternoon. As the town gets ready to illuminate the large tree at the centre of our community festivities, singers from churches and community groups are coming together to lead everyone in song. We hope that as many people as possible will join the choir and help bring the joy of Christmas to the people of Haverhill through our music-making.
Haverhill & District Churches Together 