A manger scene from Japan will be on display at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina as part of its “No Room at the Inn” exhibit. Photo courtesy of Dolores Brown
[Episcopal News Service] Advent has arrived at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina, and the seasonal altar furnishings aren’t the only tell-tale signs. For three days this week, Dec. 4-6, the congregation will place tables across the pews to create makeshift displays for an exhibit of nearly 200 nativities from around the world.
The annual event, open to the community, is called “No Room at the Inn,” and it has become a beloved, festive ritual for this Western North Carolina church. The parishioners provide a diverse assortment of nativities accompanied by cards detailing their origins and distinctive features.
“It’s just a lovely way to open the doors to the community and say, ‘Hey, come and see,’” Dolores Brown, one of the event’s organizers, told Episcopal News Service.
Nativities — miniature scenes of the Holy Family at the manger, surrounded by the first Christmas visitors — are one of Advent’s most recognizable seasonal displays in Christian churches and households around the world. A thriving consumer market also exists for nativities reflecting global cultures, from Canada to Cameroon. St. Philip’s is one of numerous Episcopal churches showcasing some of that Christian diversity as part of their Advent festivities.
St. James Episcopal Church in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, invites its community to such an exhibit Dec. 5-7 that it calls the “Wonder of Christmas.” In Ayer, Massachusetts, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church will host its annual “In a Manger” event, which began in 2001 with 75 nativities. For this year’s event at St. Andrew’s, Dec. 13 and 14, more than 400 will be on display, “each one showing the birth of Jesus through the lens of a different culture, craft tradition and artistic imagination.”
In Topeka, Kansas, Episcopal congregations are among the 30 local churches participating in the 14th annual “Nativities and Noel” event Dec. 5 and 6 hosted by the Topeka Stake Center of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints. The nearly 900 nativities to be displayed come from about 100 different countries.
Washington National Cathedral, the landmark Episcopal cathedral in the United States’ capital city, also has incorporated a nativity exhibit into its annual Advent and Christmas festivities. “One Church, One Family” features 800 manger scenes from the cathedral’s collection and runs through Jan. 18. Most of the nativities come from cathedral member Beulah Sommer’s personal collection, which she donated to the cathedral in 1998.
“The story of the Holy Family, told in different cultures using various media and material, has the power to unite the human family amidst war, conflict and political division,” the cathedral says on its website. “Their story is our story, and their hope is our hope.”
Nearly 200 nativities will be displayed at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina, on tables placed across the church’s pews. Photo courtesy of Dolores Brown
This is the fourth year that St. Philip’s in the Diocese of Western North Carolina is hosting its “No Room at the Inn.” The event drew about 700 visitors last year, Brown said, and she is looking forward to welcoming visitors again this week, with nativities originating from Alaska to Portugal to Japan.
Brown is contributing from her own growing collection of manger scenes. During a recent trip to Italy, she couldn’t resist shopping for examples of that country’s nativity sets.
Each nativity on display at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church is accompanied by a card describing its origins and distinctive features. Photo courtesy of Dolores Brown
Other parishioners are donating their time to provide music in the church while visitors inspect the nativities on display. The congregation also collects donations for Episcopal Relief & Development, and like last year, this year’s donations will be specified for use supporting ongoing relief efforts in the region after Hurricane Helene.
The event often attracts community members who have never set foot inside St. Philip’s before, Brown said, creating some “delightful” new connections.
“We’ve all discovered that doing this early Advent, it just sets the tone for the season,” she said. “It’s just been the most positive and lovely thing.”
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.