Visitors from afar line up to enter the gates of Bethlehem. (Photo by Betsy Allen)

After a two-year closure, travelers were once more allowed to visit the town of Bethlehem located behind the Hometown Independent Mission. The church’s annual Christmas affair, which features costumed volunteers, live animals, and twenty-eight interactive booths representing different professions that might be found in an ancient Middle Eastern town, was reduced to a drive-thru event in 2020 and 2021 due…