Thousands of lights guide way for deep meaning | Bay of Plenty News | Local News in Bay of Plenty

One light ... two lights ... three lights ... 40,000 lights.

Thousands of lights have illuminated Changepoint Church on Poike Rd to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

The church has worked harder to create a lighting display and a nativity walk for the community to enjoy, after a small turn-out last year, said Changepoint media advisor, Ginni Taylor.

On display is a collection of about 40,000 lights, which Mrs Taylor said is about half of their stock and includes an 8m  tall star, which took six men to assemble.

As well as the lighting display, which is on the Bay of Plenty Christmas Light Trail, the church has invested in a nativity walk, which Mrs Taylor describes as  performance art.

She said people can go inside the church and watch the performance but it is also a place where people can reflect.

 "We wanted to create a place where people can come inside and actually feel like they are back in time as if they are there," she said. "We also wanted it to be a place where people can breathe and absorb a piece of mind and reflect on the true meaning of Christmas."

 The lights at Changepoint Church turn on  at about 8.15pm every night and performances will be held every evening until Christmas Eve, when there will be two night services.

A similar presentation by Tauranga Adventist Church has actors taking part in an outdoor theatrical presentation that also brings life to the nativity journey.

The Road to Bethlehem is a 30-minute walking tour at Tauranga Adventist School where actors will transport participants back in time to the first Christmas.

An authentic marketplace, shepherds, wise men, angels and Roman soldiers are part of the journey, which Mr Downey, Road to Bethlehem committee chairperson, said would be complemented by Baby Jesus in the final scene.

But bringing New Zealand's first Road to Bethlehem to Bethlehem has not been easy for Mr Downey.

He worked on the original nativity walk in Melbourne for 13 of its 15-year duration, and when he moved to Tauranga about  two years ago, he decided to start it here too.

He had been promoting the idea for about 18 months to Tauranga Seventh-day Adventist Church, who initially said it "would cost too much", Mr Downey said.

But after four members of the church visited Melbourne and saw the Australian Road to Bethlehem they came back and said "let's do it", he said.

About 100 actors - volunteers from the church and community - are involved in the nativity walk, said Mr Downey.

He said the Road to Bethlehem is not as big as its Melbourne counterpart but was hoping that it would become somewhat of a Christmas tradition.

"This year, the walking journey is starting small and will grow every year".

He said the objective of the presentation was to share with the Tauranga community that "Jesus is the reason for the season".

Bringing the Road to Bethlehem to Bethlehem has not come cheap but Mr Downey said they have been very fortunate with donations and sponsorship.