As a teenager growing up in Turlock, Calif., Jim Lorenz, former associate pastor of the Roseville church and current pastor of the Sacramento-Woodside church, never forgot the first time he saw a drive-through nativity. Impressed by the scenes depicted of the original Christmas story, Lorenz incorporated this childhood memory into his ministry in Roseville.

“As a kid viewing the drive-through nativity, I thought to myself, ‘I really like this,’” recalls Lorenz. “As an adult, that thought matured into an answer for the question, ‘How do you attract people from the community to your church?’”

This year, the Roseville church completed its seventh annual drive-through nativity from Dec. 8 to 11. The nine different stations of the nativity attracted the surrounding community and included the following scenes: Daniel’s prophecy through the annunciation, the shepherds, the inn, Jesus’ birth, the wise men, the empty tomb and the second coming of Jesus.

Upon entering the nativity, each car received a CD or cassette recording which narrated and guided the drivers through the scenes. The drive-through began at 7 p.m. and ended at 11 p.m. — an hour later than last year due to the increase in viewers.

Preparation for the nativity began in early fall, which involved recruiting approximately 150 volunteers to serve as census takers/greeters, actors, traffic control, construction crew, electrical crew, cooking and refreshments crew and costume/wardrobe crew. Opting to present a more authentic, historically accurate depiction, male actors agreed to grow actual beards for their roles, and live animals, such as donkeys, sheep and llamas were part of the scenes.

Despite the extensive amount of preparation involved, the Roseville church intends to keep its annual tradition. “The drive-through nativity functions as the church’s biggest social event, gives church members a chance to get their neighbors involved and provides an Adventist presence in the community,” said Lorenz.

The response to the nativity was overwhelming. Over the four nights of production, a total of 769 vehicles (2,467 people) experienced the drive-through. Part of the increased attendance was due to advertising. “This year, our coordinator George Holz contacted the local newspaper, The Sacramento Bee,” said Stan Caylor, associate pastor. “One quarter of the front page was a picture of our second coming scene and half of the front page was the story, which was featured on their Saturday issue.”

Subsequently, during Saturday and Sunday, the traffic was at its peak, backing up two miles from the church; many viewers waited two hours to see the nativity. “Even though I know two hours in the car waiting is not a fun thing to do, no one complained,” said Caylor. “We told them sorry, but they said they were so thankful and appreciative for the nativity. One lady was really moved—she started crying at the second coming scene and couldn’t stop.”

As a follow-up to the drive-through nativity, the Roseville church held a special Christmas service on Dec. 17, a week after the nativity. More than 280 attended this service—30 more than the previous week and 50 more than the week before. The increased attendance was largely due to station eight of the nativity, where Caylor personally thanked the occupants of each car for coming, asked them of their reaction to the nativity and finally invited them to hear the “story behind the nativity story” during the special Christmas service.

During this special service, visitors watched as actors playing Adam and Eve offered their first sacrifice outside the garden; Abraham and Isaac on Mt. Moriah; Joseph, Mary and Jesus; Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; and the New Earth. In between each scene, the audience viewed slides, which visually told the story while narrators read. “We wanted people to understand what the nativity was really about,” said Holz.

The drive-through nativity has been a memorable ministry for not only the surrounding community but for the members of the Roseville church as well. “While the nativity is a great opportunity for us to connect with the community, the neatest thing about it is that it involves more people in our church by far than anything else we do,” said Holz. “Members were having such a good time with it, they didn’t even realize they were working.”

Lorenz agrees. “What gets me excited is that the nativity has built a lot of memories for the Roseville church and a special tie for both kids and adults,” said Lorenz. “A lot of the church’s special memories are now tied to the drive-through, and it’s those memories that people will cherish and that will always give them a tie to the church.”