Anna Monica / L’Observateur / November 29, 2000

For the living nativity Michelle Burns will portray Mary; Trey Ledbetter will be Joseph; Bernie Howard and Connie Hatfield will be the midwives; and the three wise men will be Walter Brown, Emile Bergeron and Calvin Ancar. There willalso be pages who assist the Wise Men, and King Herod will be there, too.

They, among a score of other performers, including 22 angels and 25 shepherds, will be part of the production sponsored by the First United Methodist Church in LaPlace on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m.Portrayal of the actual nativity originated about five years ago at the original church on Main Street in LaPlace. Tommy Hatfield of Norco built theirfirst stable and handled all the construction at that time. According toactive church member, Wanza Lewis of LaPlace, the Worship Planning Group had been looking for new things to do which would involve the community to some degree and came up with this idea.

For a few years members of that group included Wanza, Joyce Coleman Worship Chairman, Brenda Brauner and Sarah Tregre and the production was held on the church grounds. When the idea first developed, Tommy was askedto build the stable and his wife, Connie, took over making the costumes while others helped as they could.

Now, on Dec. 22, five different local denominations are joining together tomake this a memorable presentation to which everyone is invited to attend.

It will be held on the grounds of the new church location, U.S. Highway 51,between the Lutheran Church and the Glade School. Additional participatingchurches include The Gallilean Lutheran, Woodland Baptist, St. JohnPresbyterian and St. Timothy’s Episcopal, and members of those churchesmake up the living nativity cast.

Hatfield has again agreed to build a new stable on the new property. He is anatural for it since he and his sister, Elsie Montz of Norco, have been original members of the Methodist church. Their parents, the late Mr. and Mrs.Thomas Hatfield and the late Anna Mae Lasseigne, were among its founders.

The first new construction on U.S. 51 will be used for any church activity andeventually as the Family Life Center. There are classrooms, a kitchen and aspace for the sanctuary. Church members are excited about and dedicatedtoward the completion of the church project and are very much united in all their efforts.

Undoubtedly, the living nativity production is a major undertaking by our neighbors in the LaPlace area. At the helm, enjoying instead of beingoverwhelmed by it all, is chairperson Ruth Ann Hartman, formerly of eastern Pennsylvania, who is most pleasant and very pleased to be established in our area. She comes to us courtesy of her husband and native Louisianian,Harold, who is very supportive of her role. Publicity chairman is CraigKennedy of LaPlace, who teaches and is assistant principal at Paulina Elementary.

Ages of cast members for the living nativity vary from 3 to over 70. RuthAnn enthusiastically reports that there were so many who wanted to take part it was exciting.

The production will start with Mary and Joseph leaving home to go to Bethlehem to pay taxes and will closely follow the actual events reflected in the King James Version of the Bible.

Those involved are working hard on the different aspects of producing a living nativity. They also look forward to a successful and well-receivedpresentation in the community.

We need to encourage this kind of activity, I believe. A busy Ruth Annassures us, “It is fantastically rewarding.”

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