GAINESVILLE — Nativity scenes with Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus that sit in front of local churches are a way to share the Christmas message with the community, according to Pam Jovaag.

“As far as our church is concerned, it is a way to show that is our whole focus of our church is Christ and of course his birth,” said Jovaag, the preschool director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gainesville. “Besides his death and resurrection, that is the most important factor of our faith and by putting that out front for all to see, it shows that it is our focus.”

But there’s more to a church’s creche than Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus — they each have their own history to share. So we talked with a few local churches about their nativity scenes. Here’s what they had to say.

St. Paul United Methodist Church
404 Washington St., Gainesville/770-532-2977

A few years ago, the nativity scene was vandalized, which was “really disturbing,” according to Susan Page, administrative secretary at the church.

“We found them all over the ground ... they are (the mannequins) on poles and they bent the poles,” added Tim Atwood, the church’s program director.

St. Paul’s scene is made up of wooden camels, three wise men, an angel, shepherds with sheep and of course Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. The nativity scene is a longtime tradition at the church. Years ago it was maintained by St. Paul’s Angler Sunday School class, said Atwood. Today it is taken care of by the Pioneer Sunday School class, which is for folks in their 50s and 60s, Page said.

“And they keep up with the repair and the maintenance on the mannequins and everything,” she said.
The Pioneer Sunday school class is for folks in their 50s and 60s.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
600 S. Enota Drive, Gainesville/770-532-3883
The church began its nativity display the first week of advent, which is the first week in December. It is a painted wooden nativity scene made up of a couple large pieces rather than many smaller figures.

At Good Shepherd, the nativity has been placed in front of the church since the 1970s, Jovaag estimated.

“He (Ken Wischer) built the original nativity,” she said. Today, Vance Livingston has taken over the repair and maintenance of the nativity pieces. “He really is an anchor at our church.”

McEver Road United Methodist
3606 McEver Road, Oakwood/770-532-3160
Those in the Gainesville community may know Lewis Wirfs, who is a member at McEver Road United Methodist, from his community service through various organizations.

But Wirfs, 80, also is in charge of putting up the nativity scene at the Oakwood church.

“Louis is one of those guys that is really a community service-oriented man,” said the Rev. Gary Cole, pastor at McEver Road United Methodist Church. “He also has a neat collection of Santas; they collect them from all over the world.”

Cole has been at the church for a little more than a year and wasn’t sure how long the church has been displaying the nativity, but he did say, “It’s been here a while and I didn’t have to ask anybody to do it.”

Wirfs and wife Bonnie are spending the Christmas season in Germany.