Mary, Joseph and the pizza

Nativity plays are not uncommon in our churches this time of year. Christ Church in Lille, however, staged a unique presentation of the Nativity story on Saturday 4 December. David Bolton, one of the young adults in the parish, was the author and director of a production which included donkeys as narrators, a cast drawn from every age group in the parish, and some "non-traditional" characters, such as a pizza delivery man, who was one of the visitors to the Virgin Mary, in addition to the Archangel Gabriel! It was great fun, faithful to the ancient story, while filled with contemporary references. 


Christ Church Lille, whose priest is the Revd Canon Debbie Flach, is a lively international congregation, which offers worship and programmes reaching a wide range of people, including children, young professionals and the large international student population of the city.


There is probably not a single continent unrepresented in the membership of Christ Church. In my recent visit which included the celebration of baptisms and confirmations, I had conversations with members from India, Hong Kong, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, France, Italy, the USA, Canada and, of course, England.


The website of Christ Church, Lille, is here.

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