Wimslow Friends’ nativity scene. Photo: Courtesy Celia Davies.
Wilmslow Friends create alternative nativity
Friends crafted a nativity that also acted as a witness against armed conflict
Wilmslow Quakers used an invitation to create a nativity scene as an opportunity to witness against armed conflict.
The East Cheshire Friends were challenged to come up with an idea after an invitation from the local Methodists’ Crib Festival last month.
‘The scene depicted Christ born into a war-torn world. In the light of the ongoing horrors in the West Bank, babies continue to be born amongst the ruins and the rubble,’ Pat Baker, clerk of Wilmslow Meeting, told the Friend.
‘The idea was to encapsulate that, even in the face of the destruction and misery of conflict, there is always hope and a belief in a better future. So Friends gathered after Meeting to make crumbling clay walls, paint small concrete pieces and scatter debris across the floor of the ruined shelter. A piece of torn tent belonging to UNRWA (United Nations Relief & Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) afforded partial cover to the Holy Family. The final touches were added – a silhouette of a white dove on the broken wall and, below, bursting through the soil, a tiny olive tree.’
Among the forty-plus crib scenes on display in the church, the contribution from Wilmslow Quakers ‘struck a chord’ with visitors, added Pat Baker. ‘For some, this alternative depiction of the birth of Jesus was challenging, whereas others recognised the message of hope; of new beginnings; the belief in a more peaceful world in these turbulent times.’
