Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette photos The Rev. Fred Gilbert is pastor of The Independent Methodist Church of New Castle, which describes itself as the most decorated church in Lawrence County. The church is filled with lights, wreaths and several Nativity scenes.

By Ann Rodgers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Tucked into a commercial stretch of road outside New Castle, the Independent Methodist Church bills itself as the "most decorated church in Lawrence County." But it could probably hold its own in a national competition.

Its nearly life-size outdoor creche only hints at what's inside. Thousands of figurines, meticulously designed to feature a wide variety of ethnic traditions, are used to create 14 biblical scenes relating to the birth of Jesus.

"I don't look at this as just decoration. This is something devotional. This is a shrine," said the Rev. Fred Gilbert, the pastor, who has been collecting Nativity figures since childhood. His undergraduate degree in art gives him an eye for the displays, the decorated trees and garlands of silk poinsettias entwined with greenery, ribbon and lights.

Now 57, the Sewickley native was ordained a United Methodist minister but split from the denomination 18 years ago to start this church in Shenango Township. Its 200 families meet in a converted bar once known for bikers, strippers and brawls. An architect redid its facade to resemble a traditional church. But it's the decorations inside that set it apart.

And not just at Christmas. Next to the outdoor Nativity is a large faux rock tomb, now closed, that displays a shrouded Jesus during Lent and a risen Jesus at Easter. For Easter the shrubbery now adorned with lights is covered in silk flowers.

A pregnant Mary sits sidesaddle on a donkey led by Joseph in one of several Nativity scenes at the Independent Methodist Church of New Castle. Click photo for larger image.

"I believe that kids coming through here have a Christian concept planted in their spiritual foundation," the Rev. Gilbert said. "They get the incarnation, the passion and the Resurrection. That's the core of the apostolic faith."

Like most of the small figurines inside, the outdoor Nativity was made by the Italian company Fontanini. It is identical to the Nativity scene in which Macaulay Culkin hid in the movie "Home Alone," and it is nearly identical to one that Fontanini gave to the late Pope John Paul II for use in his private apartment.

The church's foyer is decorated Spanish-style, with the baby Jesus surrounded by garlands of fruit. The Stations of the Nativity -- intended to mirror the Lenten Stations of the Cross -- begin at the back of the church. Each is filled with details; buildings, plants, tools, countless villagers and animals surround the main biblical characters.

The first two are intended to explain the Jewish foundation of Christianity. One illustrates prophets announcing a coming messiah. The second portrays Bethlehem centuries before Jesus' birth, when his ancestor, Ruth, settled there after converting to the faith of the Israelites.

The remaining 12 stations, taken from the gospels and from Christian tradition, include the annunciation, Joseph's carpenter shop in Nazareth, Mary's visit to Elizabeth, the Roman census, the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus' birth, the adoration of the shepherds, the presentation at the temple, the journey of the wise men, the visit of the wise men and the flight into Egypt.

Station nine, The Animals' Christmas, is more fanciful, with animals from every continent -- from polar bears to kangaroos -- paying homage to the baby Jesus. But even it is rooted in the biblical vision of the lion and the lamb living peacefully together and in the many traditions about animals at Jesus' birth, the Rev. Gilbert said.

		In addition to services at 7, 9 and 11 tonight, the church will be open for guided tours from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and New Year's Day. For more information, contact www.imcnewcastle.com or 724-652-6567.

Although the displays are elaborate, their setting is not. The church is small. One display sits atop a spinet piano in the fellowship hall. The entire building is filled with decorations, reflecting a wide variety of ethnic and theological traditions.

An iconic tapestry shows Orthodox images, including midwives at the birth and Satan attempting to disrupt God's plan. "You can find the devil in many European Nativities," the Rev. Gilbert said. "Here he is trying to get Joseph to divorce Mary."

He points to incongruous items in some displays, such as pumpkins in a market scene. Pumpkins are native to America. Such oddities are part of the Nativity tradition, he said. Each culture tried to portray Jesus' birth in one of its own villages, which is why much popular Nativity imagery owes more to peasant life in medieval Italy and France than to ancient Judea. The quintessential American expression was to place the Nativity in a model railroad village, he said.

There are cultural differences in depictions of the wise men. The earliest known images have them riding horses.

"It wasn't until the Renaissance, after the crusades, that Europe found out what a camel is," he said.

Today in Italy, Spain and much of Latin America, only one wise man rides a camel. The other two travel by elephant and horse, he said. His station on the journey of the wise men follows that tradition.

The Rev. Gilbert traces his love for Nativities to two early years of Catholic grade school. There was a creche in the classroom. The desks were arranged around it, with prayers offered daily to the Christ child.

As a child, he was taken to the store to choose his own birthday present. "I bought Nativity pieces," he said.

His collecting has escalated over the past decade, he said, allowing him to fill the church, though the largest displays were gifts from church members.

Dozens of volunteers work nearly around the clock for four days to set up and decorate.

Joyce and Bill Watkins, a retired couple who belong to the church, are among them. Mr. Watkins handles electrical work and anything that requires a ladder. She does detail work on the scenes -- taping, gluing, pinning, making trees look right.

The Rev. Gilbert lays out each scene. "He has a dream, and we help him realize that dream," she said.

This year, though, after explaining what he wanted, he left her in charge of the "fishing village," in the hills above Ruth's Bethlehem. It is built around a rocky waterfall and pool that are part of the church's year-round decor. He told her what he wanted, and she set about preparing tents for fish mongers, people fishing and sheep grazing on the hillside.

In the early years, it was work she did out of duty. But it became an act of faith.

"As we really started featuring the Fontanini, and it kept getting larger, it created more of an interest in the whole biblical story of the Christ child. It wasn't only what it was doing for the church and the community, but I think all of us became so engrossed in the whole story," she said.

She has found it a helpful way to share the faith. Recently she took her 9-year-old granddaughter through, explaining the Christmas story from the prophecies to the flight to Egypt.

"It's a learning process, and it helps you grow as an individual," she said.