Christmas Pageant: A Night For Dancing

December 23, 24, 2007

Christmas was celebrated at St. Mark's with music and dance.  The lovely Christmas Cantata by Hal H. Hobson was presented by a choir of both young and old, during the Sunday School hour on December 23 and on Christmas Eve.

Stephanie Fortin and Nick Buckman played the parts of Mary and Joseph. Declan Jones was Matthew, a shepherd boy who led a parade of animals to praise the Christ Child. The animals were player by Stephen Boone, Ezra Buckman, Gillian Buckman, Makensi Doebler, Madalyn Fortin, Ben Haussmann, Elizabeth Haussmann, Hannah Haussmann, Sean Jensen. Emily Newcomer, Dawson Owen, Devin Owen, Annika Waftenschmidt, Riley Weber, Stefan Weber, Sadie Wentzel, Taylor Wentzel, Anna Zeigler and Laura Zeigler.

As Matthew sings, the animals dance their way to the front of the room. The chorus chimes in with:

The night of nights is here.
All earth join hands and sing.
The lion and lambs unite.
The hawks and doves join, too.
Come sing.
Come sing our birthday song.

Matthew and the animal procession then finds Joseph, who invites them in to see the newborn Babe.

The animals all gather around Mary, Joseph and the Child and sing their carol of praise. The animals then depart, in pairs, to the blessing sung by Mary and Joseph. All sing "Alleluia. God with us is now come true, Alleluia. Christ is born!" and the Cantata concludes.

Karen Boone, Deb Buckman, Ruth Burkholder, Walter Doebler, Vicki Haussmann, Joyce Hershberger; Pam Jensen L. Jane Kline, Kirk Owen, Michele Owen, Beth Shafranko, Lois Smith, Gary Weber, Shelby Weber, Melinda Wentzel, Melvin Wentzel and Diana Zeigler. Richard Lakey served as music director; Bernadette Jones directed; Sara Jones played flute.