PHOTOS: Thousands attend live nativity in Horizon West

More than 2,000 people attended the Light the World Live Nativity Celebration, held Dec. 5 and 6 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Horizon West location.

Representatives of five local Christian churches, three non-profit organizations, two OCPS school choirs, a Portuguese church choir and three OCPS FFA programs cooperated in presenting the two-day celebration.

The event included seven 15-minute showtimes with live acting, live animals and live music. 

During the first night, the choirs included 60 students from Hamlin Middle School and Horizon High School for the English and Spanish showtimes, and a Portuguese choir from Resurrection Catholic Church for the Portuguese showtime. On the second night, the live music was provided by various children’s choirs and small group performers.

Guests entered the experience through the gates of Bethlehem, where they were greeted by Roman soldiers with a “census” tent and a “tax” tent, where guests donated hundreds of pounds of canned food as “taxes” to enter Bethlehem. Food from the tax tents were donated to two local food pantries: The Hope Center and Well of Hope. 

Guests then continued on through the gates to walk past animals including three Highland miniature cows, miniature donkeys, a miniature horse, a turkey, a bunny, a goat and other animals. FFA students from West Orange High School, Horizon High School and Hamlin Middle School dressed as shepherds and managed the animals throughout the evening. After walking past the animals, guests walked through a “Bethlehem open market” scene and onward to the show. 

Two special farmers of Special Hearts Farm also joined the cast for the evening as shepherds. 

“It was such a beautiful experience for our ‘special farmers’ to participate in the nativity,” Emily Davis, director of development for Special Hearts Farm, said. “Our farmers truly loved being a part of it and demonstrating the heart of Jesus toward our special-needs community.”

Each of the Bible nativity story narrators for the Live Nativity were pastors and other religious leaders from several other local churches, as well as representatives from the nonprofits that received the food donations. The narrators included President Gary Hansen, of the Winter Garden Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Pastor Brad Jagger, of Windermere Union Church; Deacon Alexandre Martins, of Resurrection Catholic Church; Pastor Michael Hopewell, of New Water Church; Pastor Darrell, of Mount Bethel Baptist Church; and Mark Byrd, executive director of the Hope Center.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plans to host this nativity as an annual event.  

“We are delighted to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in this special way with so many neighbors and friends in the Winter Garden area,” Hansen said. 

For more information about Light the World, click here.