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Thousands expected to see 'The Journey'
11.28 SCC Journey 1
A scenes from “The Journey.” Savannah Christian Church will host the event for two weeks in December. - photo by Photo provided

It takes a village — actually a teaming congregation of enthusiastic volunteers — to recreate the village of Bethlehem for the nearly 15,000 expected to descend on Savannah Christian Church’s campus in December to see “The Journey.”

“It takes hundreds and hundreds of faithful volunteers to stage a production as large as this,” said SCC drama director Wayne Sullivan.

During the first two weeks of December, “The Journey” recreates life the night Christ was born. Visitors arrive at Savannah Christian and are assigned to a tribe going to Bethlehem to pay taxes and register as citizens of the Roman Empire.

They encounter the angel telling Mary and then Joseph that she is with child. They see the Wise Men. They board a boat and cross the Sea of Galilee, a large lake on the church campus.

As they enter the gates of Bethlehem, they hear the pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer, the braying of donkeys, and the shouts of fishmongers selling their catch. Someone calls, “have you heard about the baby Jesus?” and they follow shepherds to a stable, where they find a newborn babe lying in a manger.

Bringing “The Journey” to life is as exhausting as it is exciting, as labor-intensive as it is awe-inspiring.