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BROOKHAVEN — A candlelit sanctuary, hot chocolate and hundreds of nativities crafted out of a variety of materials and from many different countries all pointed to the birth of Jesus Christ. Each told the same story about how God sent His son to take on human flesh, His first moments on this earth surrounded by livestock and lying in a manger. 

Amanda Kilpatrick, organizer of the Nights of Nativities at the Lincoln County Baptist Association, said the idea for such an event came several years ago. She stated the Lord gave her the idea and sent a team of people to help make it happen. 

Misty Martinez, Helen Dowling, Renee Hudson, Barbra Moak, Glen Bardwell and Gary Hudson all provided encouragement and were a joy to work with, Kilpatrick said. She added God provided everything they needed along the way. 

“It has definitely been a team effort and it has been beautiful to see men and women from churches all over the county come together and use their gifts, talents, abilities and resources to put on this event,” Kilpatrick said. “It has been a joy.”

Work to set up the event started in November. Kilpatrick said they had to clean the space, move in tables, table cloths, set up the nativities and lights. Table leaders brought nativities and decorated the tables. She added it has been a joy to see the body of Christ working together. 

More than 300 nativity sets told the same story of Christmas at the event this weekend. Some are made of white polished stones, others small intricate wooden carvings. One set came from Liberia and was crafted out of old bullet casings. 

Visitors walked around with flashlights to examine and appreciate the fine details of each set. Kilpatrick said she could not pick a favorite set but saw one which stood out to her. 

“I really loved the one that showed Mary holding Jesus. Most show him lying in the manger,” Kilpatrick said. “One way the Lord has used this event in my life is to remind me of one of the names of God. Emanuel which means God with us. We serve a God who loves us so much he wanted to dwell with his people and it has been a reminder seeing the nativities. We also have brothers and sisters and Christ all over the world and it is a reminder to pray for our missionaries who are serving and sharing the gospel.”

Kilpatrick said she would love to bring the event back next year. 

“We pray that he is glorified through all of this,” Kilpatrick said. “To God be the glory.”

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