LAYTON -- Mountain View Baptist Church will again present "Journey to Bethlehem" this Christmas season.
The free program will be from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 3 and 4, and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 6, near the church at 2585 E. 3000 North.
"This will be the 11th anniversary of this special program," said Barbara Wallin, program publicist and church member.
"Journey to Bethlehem" is an outdoor, guided tour that leads visitors over winding pathways to a live manger scene, Wallin said.
Costumed actors portray Roman soldiers, villagers, angels and robbers in this dramatic, interactive production, she said.
Live animals complete the picture in the step back in time to the night of Jesus' birth.
Wallin said nearly 4,000 people attended the 2008 production.
There are about 350 people involved in putting on the production, said Linda Hudspeth, who with her husband co-directs the event this year.
"We start in July," she said. "We raise the money to put it on through an auction at the church. That's why we are able to not charge."
Those who participate will get a first-hand feel of what it was like to be Jewish in Jesus' day.
"You become a Jew, you are issued a passport and you are given a Jewish name," she said.
The production includes being led on a journey where Roman soldiers harass those who take part. They are taxed and even robbed by fellow Jews, Hudspeth said.
Eventually participants seek shelter at an inn but are turned down. They are told of a couple who came earlier, who were sent to the stable.
That's where the participants find Jesus as a baby in a manger, Hudspeth said.
The production also includes a visit to the cross and a discussion about what that means.
Hudspeth said new this year is additional scenery and artwork to make the experience more real.
"The inn has been updated as well, and there are a few more things in the village," she said.
"There are a few new cast members because the church has grown and we want to incorporate everyone who wants to be in it," she said.
The event features hot chocolate at the end for those who make their way through to the cross.
Mountain View Baptist church is just west of U.S. 89 on State Route 193 in Layton.
Tour groups will depart nearly every 15 minutes, with the journey taking about an hour. The public is encouraged to dress warm.
Call (801) 771-3204 or visit mountainviewbc.org for additional information on the presentation.
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