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| Westminster presbyterian church |
| (818) 889-1491 |
Come to worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church any Sunday on or before December 5th (services are at 8:30, 10:00, and 11:15 am). You'll hear Bethlehem Experience announcements and be able to meet with coordinators on the patio after worship.
| Blitz Build | Saturday, December 4 - 7:30am until finished |
|---|---|
| Acting Workshop | TBA |
| Pre-Decorate | Daily - Monday, December 6 - Friday, December 10 - 8:00am - noon |
| "Blitz" Set Decorate | Saturday, December 11 - 8:00 - showtime |
| Performance Dates | Saturday, December 11 - 5:00 - 8:30pm* Sunday, December 12 - 5:00 - 8:30pm* *last station assignment finishes at 9:30pm |
| "Blitz" Tear Down | Sunday, December 12 - 9:30pm - midnight |
| General | Gary or Linda Rich | 818.707.2135 |
|---|---|---|
| Church Office | 818.889.1491 | |
You and your family are invited to help make the 2010 Bethlehem Experience a reality for the community. We need people of all ages no experience necessary! Look over the ways you can help below, then come sign up at the Bethlehem tent on the courtyard.
Come be part of the greatest weekend of the year!
Help Needed Before BethEx Weekend:
Station Coordinators: On your own or with a friend, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and really get involved with the life of the church. Gather up family and friends and help decorate your station during Blitz Decorate; props and basic decor tips are supplied. Help recruit actors for your station and keep them informed with forwarded emails.
| Coordinators are needed for: | |
| Bakery | Basket and Broom Markets |
| Carpenter | Carpet & Vegetable Stand |
| The Inn | Brass and Bean/Rice Markets |
| City Dwellings | Pottery and Bead Market |
| Magi Camp | Dancers |
Set Pull-out: Come help pull the set out of storage on Saturday, November 27th. Don't forget your work-gloves!
Lighting Crew: Help put the spotlight on Bethlehem! Crew needed for setup on Thursday & Friday afternoons & Friday night; on-site during BethEx; and especially for Set-Strike Sunday night.
Blitz Build: Build the set of Bethlehem in a day, Saturday, December 4th & Bring work gloves!
Costume Room Set-up: Help set up the Costume room after 3rd Service on December 5th. It won't take long with lots of helping hands!
Blitz Decorate: Help create Bethlehem on Saturday, Dec. 11th Props & directions for basic decor are supplied, but creativity is encouraged! Or, if you prefer, come during the week before, Monday, Dec. 6th - Friday, Dec. 10th (aka Weekday Set Decorate).
Help Needed After BethEx:
Set Strike: It takes a village to re-create Bethlehem but also to strike the set! Stay after the recessional on Sunday night. Help put away all the props, gather material & dismantle the marketplace; there are jobs for all abilities. Many hands make light work - and we all get to bed sooner! And/Or signup for Post-strike: Come on the Monday after BethEx to help sweep the village clean. Check the parking lot for loose screws/nails, trash, & random articles left behind. If it rains during the weekend, there will be a need to take care of wet props and materials.
Costume Care: Pick up bags of sorted Costumes, wash & dry, and return to WPC the following week.
Help Needed During BethEx:
Greeters: Greet actors as they arrive. Make sure they sign in and read our safety rules. Keep track of any 'holes' in the roster and help fill with unscheduled actors.
Sandwiches & Cookies: Bring a plate of cookies or sandwiches to help feed our starving actors.
Kitchen Crew: Feed the actors when they come in from the cold and keep the coffee, hot chocolate and hot cider pots full. Help with clean up at the end of the night.
Dressers & Wardrobe: Help dress actors and keep costumes organized during performances. Sort Costumes for cleaning after the last performance Sunday night.
Actors:
Bring the village of Bethlehem to life! Sign up for a station for an hour and a half, then wander the streets and visit other stations.
The Marketplace Stations are especially well-suited for families. Note that specialty roles are age specific.
Nomad Camp: Watch over your sheep, stay warm by your campfire & marvel at the star. Lots of excellent food and conversation. Good for individuals and families.
Marketplace:
Bakery: The bakery is full of fresh breads and rolls. We will have bread dough for kids to roll out and make into loaves.
Basket and Broom Markets: This is a shop where you can make brooms and then sell them.
Belt, Herbs, Weaving & Yarn Markets: In this shop, you gather rosemary into bundles and measure colored "spices" into little bags. Belts of slotted burlap will already be hung in the shop, just weave strips of fabric through the slots.
Brass and Bean/Rice Markets: In this market, there will II be bags of rice and beans for you to scoop into cloth bags and measure on a scale.
Candles and Flowers: The most colorful market in all of Bethlehem .
Carpenter & Furniture: There will be hammers, nails, and wood for you to make into furniture, or just to pound and make noise.
Carpet & Vegetable Stand: Fresh vegetables and fruits and carpets for sale. In years past, children have made decorations using oranges and cloves.
Children's Dell: A gathering place for families with children to play games and hand make goods to sell in the marketplace.
City Dwellings: This is the first part of the set our visitors see. In the "suburbs" of Bethlehem you act as a family doing regular chores for your home.
Marketplace Dancers: Dance the night away performing original Hebrew dances to original Hebrew music. We'll show you the steps!
Pottery and Bead Market: This is a popular place for families. We have real clay to make pots with and colorful beads for stringing.
The Inn: Invite everyone you know to dinner at the Inn. In year's past, families have brought in chili and hot chocolate or cider and had dinner on picnic tables here (please, no modem dishes, plasticware, etc).
River and Windows: The river is a quieter spot than the busy marketplace. Do the laundry, hang it on lines, fold and place in baskets, gossip w/passers-by. Younger children can fish for magnetic fish in the river.
Exit Gate: Final Station - Still in Costume! Collect the CDs, pass out flyers about WPC and take a census (count car occupants.)
Specialty Actor Roles:
Angels: For girls 9 years and up: Stand behind Mary and Joseph in the Manger. There are no spoken lines for angels, just beautiful smiles! Shift is one hour. Special Costume
Mary: Teen girls 13 & up: Be a part of the Living Nativity Scene. Sit quietly and hold the baby Jesus. Shift is one hour Special Costume
Joseph: Teen boys 14 & up: Be a part of the Living Nativity Scene. Sit quietly at the manger with Mary and baby Jesus. Shift is one hour. Special Costume
Magi (Kings): Adult Men: Dress in special costumes and stand on the front lawn looking kingly. On Sunday night after the last car drives through Bethlehem, lead all the villagers to the manger for closing prayers. Special Costume
Magi Camp Dancers: Girls 14 and up Dance by the firelight of the Magi's camp. Excellent choice for mother's and daughters. Special Costume
Roman Tax Collector: Adult Man Sit on a great chair in the center of the village. Special Costume
Roman Centurions: Roman Centurions ensure participants and visitors to BethEx 2010 have a wonderful and safe evening. SYF members and older are welcome to sign up; JYF members can participate at the discretion of the Legion Commander. Special Costume
Leper: Don't show your face and don't get close to anyone. "Unclean!" is your line. Special Costume
Butcher: Adult Man or Husband & Wife
Supplies donations needed:
Check at the Bethlehem Tent during the next three weeks for up-to-date needs.
Please bring your donations to the Bethlehem Tent on the patio Sunday mornings.
Important Dates:
| Pre-Blitz Pullout | Sat., Nov. 27, 8am-noon |
| Blitz Build | Sat., Dec. 4, 7:30am-3:30pm |
| Costume Setup | Sun., Dec. 5, 12:30-2:30 |
| Daily Decorate | Dec. 6-10, 8am-noon |
| Blitz Decorate | Sat., Dec. II, 8am-noon |
| Performance | Sat. Dec. 11 , Sp -9:30pm Sun., Dec. 12, Sm -9:30pm |
| Set Strike | Sun., Dec. 12, 9:30pm -12am |
| Post Set-Strike | Mon., Dec. 13 |