SEQUIM — Sequim Valley Nazarene Church is starting a new Christmas tradition this year with a “Living Nativity” tour church officials hope to continue for years to come.
The program features a free guided tour that will run every hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. this Saturday and next Saturday, Dec. 16 at the church at 481 Carlsborg Road.
Each tour will last about 40 to 45 minutes and run through six scenes of the Christmas story with live actors and animals.
Pastor Jerry Luengen said that, to his knowledge, Sequim Nazarene is the only church in town that is offering a live nativity scene this year.
“I had been part of a church many years ago that did this successfully,” Luengen said. “We thought it would be a really cool part of our community and so we decided to take it on.”
Luengen said the church paved a wood chip trail that runs through the property to each stage of the Christmas story.
“The biggest effort we took was building the trail,” Luengen said. “The goal was to build something that can be redone every year.”
Luengen said 21 actors and a variety of live animals — including a horse, camel, sheep and goats — will be involved in the show.
The reason for starting the Living Nativity tour is to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, Luengen said.
Tours will continue rain or shine and Luengen said the church has purchased umbrellas for guests in the event that it rains.
Guests may park at Greywolf Elementary School near the intersection of Carlsborg and U.S. Highway 101 and will be bused to the church from the school. The church asks guests plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before each tour.
Snacks and beverages will be provided at the church while guests are waiting for the tours to start.
The tour is open to the public and is designed for both big and small tour groups.
To learn more about the nativity tour, visit www.sequimchurch.org/.
