The local Adventist churches in Whatcom County came together once again to share the story of Jesus' birth with the community. Through their efforts, they discovered multiple blessings.
In December 2022, the Walk Through Bethlehem committee was able to put on the Nativity event for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 60 volunteers helped tell the story each night, and even more volunteers helped set up and tear down the sets. Approximately 1,700 guests attended the event.
God has truly blessed the community with this event. People traveled far and wide to attend, from as far as Lake Stevens and Anacortes. Even new local people from Ukraine, who were displaced due to the ongoing war, were able to experience Bethlehem. As the production team talked, they agreed that they never really know what kind of impact the church can have in the community.
Some attendees stated that they were so blessed and amazed that the church would put on this event completely free and for total random strangers.
The ripple effects continued after the program concluded. About three weeks after the event, a gentleman called and left a message for the Walk Through Bethlehem committee. The local hardware store where he works had a half pallet of tiki torch oil they did not want to store. He asked if the church would like the oil. The church paid $1 for $900 retail value of tiki torch oil.
The gentleman said that he attended the Walk Through Bethlehem event before and really supports what the church is doing in sharing Jesus into the community.
“This year it really felt like God was out there working with us and we are so thankful for all of God's blessings we have received throughout the entire process of the event,” said Ron Schultz, Bellingham Church pastor. “Taking our opportunities to take a moment to reach out into the community and share Jesus should always be a priority. We never know which total random stranger is listening.”
