Press Release
December 8th and 9th from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church will continue its traditional
re-creation of the birth of Christ as a Living Nativity presentation. This is the 25th anniversary of the event.
Visiting the Living Nativity has become a tradition for many viewers, as well as the cast. New visitors are invited to join in the tradition at 801 N. Sheridan Avenue in Cañon City to help celebrate the Christmas season. There will be hot drinks and cookies served on the December 8th and soup and chili on the December 9th.
The origin of this event stems back to 1997 – 1998 when Pastor Ron Bock and Steve Hermanson suggested the idea and took action. Construction began on the set, which was built of plywood and painted. A stable was built, costumes designed and sewn, animals rented and lighting and sound systems developed, rounding out the production.
It was evident that years of setting up and tearing down the existing set had taken its toll. Pastor Bob Kippley called for a new group of interested members to review the current set status and provide recommendations. The result of these conversations was to replace the existing set in a totally new format that would be practical, sturdy and within the congregation’s financial means. The current Pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Church is Rev. Christine Hjelmstad.
72 feet of dropped canvas banners printed with both the scene of Bethlehem and the arriving Wise Men enhance the visual effect. The banners hang along the length of two sides of the church. The entire backdrop scene has been expanded, and many hours of physical labor were involved during the removal of large shrubs and covering the ground area with rock in order to accommodate the new backdrop. Art work and production of the backdrop were completed by artists in the Territorial Prison under the direction of Charles Graeber, Director of Correctional Industries in 2012. The artists who designed the project were: J. Tensley, A. Smith, W.Gilmore, S. Armstrong and A. Preston.
The cast, consisting of members of Shepherd of the Hills and Christ Episcopal Churches and other volunteers from the community, includes the Holy Family, angels, shepherds and wise men outdoors. Many others are involved behind the scenes. Over the years live animals have been provided by an individual from Penrose, the Royal Gorge Zoo, the Penrose Horses and Hounds 4-H group and since 2018 the Juan and Marlissa Gonzalez family from Wetmore. Donations of nonperishable food and cash will be accepted and given to Loaves & Fishes Ministries of Cañon City, which distributes food boxes to Fremont County families in addition to other services it provides. In some years the donations were given to Mercy Today Ministries of Cañon City.
Upon arriving at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 801 N. Sheridan, Cañon City, visitors may either drive through and observe from their vehicles, or they can park their vehicles and walk along the changing scenes as the story is told through Bible readings and music. Either way, visitors will be participants in the reason for the season, the story of the birth of Christ the Savior in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago.