Manger Scene: A Sunday School Gift
 
Each year, our education committee gave the Sunday School children a gift after the children's program. We had given all the usual gifts such as ornaments and candy bags. When Dave and Carolyn Sick joined our congregation, they brought with them a creative idea for gifts from their church in Iowa.
Each fall, Dave selected 1" oak boards with very few knots. He carefully laid out the patterns for the figures of the year so that no wood was wasted. Then he cut out about 150 of each one, sanded them and boxed them up. It took 6 years to receive the entire set. (The sequence is listed below.)
Pastor Greg and some of the middle school youth stained and varnished the figures and stood them up to dry on ping-pong tables to dry. They were able to get them finished in one evening service project.
On another night, they were put in paper bags, which were tied shut and labeled with each child's name.
On the afternoon of the Christmas program, all the bags were placed under the large Christmas tree in the chancel. After the Children's Christmas Program, each teacher came forward with her/his class. As the chairperson of the education committee read off the names of the children, the teacher handed their manger scene gift bag to them.
After each class had received their gift bags, they were given an ovation as they walked out to the fellowship hall for Christmas cookies with the entire congregational family.
These manger scenes became so popular, that families without young children began to order them. The education committee sold them to these families(you set your own price) and used the money to help cover the cost of the oak boards.
When new families with young children joined the congregation, they were given all the previous pieces they had missed in their Christmas gift bag along with the current piece.
Year 1 - Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, the manger
Year 2 - Stable
Year 3 - Star
Year 4 - Angel
Year 5 - Sheep and Donkey
Year 6 - Wise Man