On the starlit evening of December 14, the Mattapoisett Congregational Church opened its doors and presented its annual White Gifts Pageant.
The cast consisted of church children dressed as shepherds, sheep, King Herod (Maggie Carroll), Mary (Maggie Berry), and Joseph (Ella Meninno). There was even a tiny baby (one-month old Isaac Lang) who had been carefully placed in the manger (by his real mother who bravely watched from stage left) announcing that Christ was born by uttering tiny mewing sounds.
“It’s the first time in a while that we’ve actually had a live baby, so that’s exciting” said Patricia Berry, director of Christian Education. “You never know when somebody’s going to have a baby!”
The production was everything one would want from a community church extravaganza. Julian Crain, Elliott Talley, Delilah Burlinson and Teddy Carroll were all beaming as they performed a variety of Christmas songs during the prelude, in front of family and friends gathered to watch and encourage them. You got the sense that you were witnessing, nay, experiencing something wonderful.
For hundreds of years, long before Christmas became the commercial event it is today, people gathered to honor what they believed to be one of the holiest days of the year – the day Christ was born. And though the actual date, place, and circumstances continue to be debated, the ceremony of wanting to share hope and love, along with the giving of earthly possessions to others, remains for Christians an integral part of remembering the man they call Jesus.
For over 80 years, the Congregational Church has extended its outreach to those struggling to keep body and soul together through the “White Gifts” pageant.
Combining the story of the nativity with the collection of winter clothing wrapped in white paper, the church supports the spiritual and physical needs of others. The white gifts were symbolically laid at the feet of the Baby Jesus and later distributed to various charitable organizations for distribution.
White Gifts Pageants have been performed throughout the world in Christian churches as far back as the early 20th century. The adoration of the King is oftentimes a significant part of the choreography. On this night in Mattapoisett, it was the angels, the sheep, and the shepherds no more than three-feet tall that surrounded a kicking baby Jesus. To that, all one can say is, Amen!
By Marilou Newell
