There are few things these days that you can do with your kids that are entertaining and education, as well as free. But such as thing does exist at the Village Church in Burbank.
The church is once again presenting their “Journey To Bethlehem” program. It’s like a giant play where you join with the actors as you travel back in time 2,000 years to the time of Christ. They church members have transformed their church courtyard into a a replica of what Bethlehem might have been when Jesus was born.
I first learned about “Journey To Bethlehem” two years ago. I took my then 6 year-old granddaughter, Madison, to see it, and we were both amazed at how interesting it was. Last year at this time she was asking me about it. I had to explain that the church only puts on the program every other year. She started asking me about it again this year, about a month ago. I reassured her that we would be going.
It was just as interesting this time. Even my other granddaughter, 2 year-old Savannah, was enthralled. Using the “shekels” handed to them by the money changer, the kids could buy small handmade toys, carved flowers, and even little knitted caps. Their favorite thing to do was buy a carrot for one shekel and feed it to the rabbits. Maybe because we have ordinary pets at home, they were quite interested in the sheep, rabbits, and chickens. They favorite was the horse that was at the entrance.
The Roman Centurions with their shinny gold-colored armor and long red capes also caught their attention. The real baby in the nativity scene, along with a miniature donkey was also a favorite of the girls. As we left the nativity scene, we made one last stop at the camel sitting on the grass lawn. The Three Wise Men were standing nearby. He wasn’t a real camel, much to the girls’ dismay, but he did make a great place to stop and take a photo.
Even if you don’t have children or grandchildren to take on the “Journey To Bethlehem,” you should go check out this once every other year event. We went on Friday night. It will be open again Saturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15. The hours are 5-8:30 p.m. Saturday, and 4-7:30 p.m. on Sunday. The church is located at 3216 W. Victory Blvd.
