The Cityside Travelling Nativity Set
Story and photos by Jeannie Cochrane, Cityside Baptist Church
The Cityside Travelling Nativity Set was crafted by Citysider – Helen Bayldon – in 2013. Her inspiration came from hearing about another church doing something similar. Helen’s motivation for making the set and starting the tradition was to create another way of connecting during the season of Advent, and it has now taken place almost every year since, only taking a rest in 2021. The Cityside community is spread far and wide across Tāmaki Makaurau and the nativity set typically travels to homes in the north, west, south and east.
The set consists of Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus, three wise men carrying gifts, an angel and a shepherd, a cow, a sheep and a donkey. The simple figures are crafted from hessian with wire for support.
As the season of advent draws near, we pass a sign-up sheet around during a service or two for those who would like to host the set for a night or two. A notice is also posted on the Cityside Community Facebook page. We then make a roster, which can be a logistical challenge given the geographical distances between our homes!
The Nativity set starts its journey by being handed over to the initial hosts during the service on the first Sunday of Advent. There is a liturgy for the giver and the receiver to say during the process of handing over. The nativity set will stay with the hosts for one or two nights before they pass it on to the next recipients, continuing until it arrives back at Cityside on Christmas Eve.
The hope is that although it is a busy season of the year, space will be found for some connection between the givers and receivers, maybe over a drink and nibbles. Personally, I also appreciate the sense of connection that comes from knowing that this set I host for a night or two has also been in the homes of others in my community.
