Sun Prairie United Methodist Church hosts an annual Live Nativity the week before Christmas to dramatize the birth of Jesus! Volunteer members from SPUMC, along with live animals, act in scenes which depict various stages of the Christmas Story. You’ll not only see Mary and Joseph, as they journey to Bethlehem, but also Caesar Augustus , shepherds, angels and wise men all witnessing the miracle of The First Christmas.
Live Nativity Volunteer Job Descriptions
- Make sure all of the following areas are coordinated and running smoothly. Check in with each area regularly
- With Set Coordinator, make sure everything gets to the church the week after Thanksgiving.
- Gives Stage Manager a list of where all pieces should go that each scene leader is responsible for to put in their packets.
- Makes sure there is a place for everything on the night of takedown and that everything is taken there. Works on packets to hand out to volunteers.
- Be a resource for problems.
- Find and assign all volunteers, with help from the Live Nativity Coordinator.
- Be on site the day/night of the Live Nativity to field absence calls.
- If you have people who can’t walk from Northside to the church, make sure you communicate arrangements for parking closer. Work this out with the Traffic Coordinator. Make the Live Nativity Coordinator aware of this situation.
- Communicate with all volunteers with instructions on when to arrive and what they need to do.
- Make a check-in list of all volunteers and where the check-in person should send them
- is in charge of props. Makes sure we have all working Props, either borrowing them or making sure we have them.
- works with Costume Assistant to divide up the following tasks:
- set up schedule for actors to come be fitted. Can either send this info out on their own or let the Volunteer Coordinator send it. But actors who cannot make the scheduled time, contact the Costume Coordinator or Assistant directly to set up alternate time.
– Get list of actors from Volunteer Coordinator
– Run the fittings with both the coordinator and assistant or one of them – however they prefer
– make sure we have all costumes and accessories for everyone
– check everything over in the summer or fall for repairs
– check to make sure we have enough gloves and hand warmers for the actors and anyone working outside that night. Get the number from the Volunteer Coordinator or the Live Nativity Coordinator. If more are needed, order or pick them up.
– make sure all rolling racks with all costumes and accessories are taken to the scene room the week before the Live Nativity. Get the rooms from the Live Nativity Coordinator.
– put hand warmers, gloves and headbands needed out for each scene the week before the event in the room assigned to that scene
– make sure that all costumes/accessories are returned, and then packed up to put away
- Works with the Costume Coordinator to accomplish the above tasks
Secure everything needed for each scene in the multipurpose room as soon as all pieces are brought over the week after Thanksgiving. Put them out according to scene.
The Sunday or Monday before the event, take everything from each scene to the appropriate staging room. Get rooms from the Live Nativity Coord.
In charge of setup and takedown on the day of the event to make sure each scene gets setup properly and taken down and put where it needs to go. Includes arches, signs, haybales, star. Makes a setup packet for each area describing what to do.
Makes sure the tents get set up and taken down for Hot Chocolate, greeter and donations. You would be given volunteers.
Be available the day and night of the event for problems that arise.
Is available on Sunday to help get everything put away. Makes sure everything is put back in the correct rooms at the Wesley House. You would be given volunteers.
Be in charge of getting everything from each scene back to its original place.
- Drama Coach – makes sure Scene Leaders has the necessary directions to go over with each actor.
- Makes sure each Scene Coordinator has a packet with necessary direction. Works on this with Live Nativity Coordinator and any other needed people.
- Makes sure each scene is running properly that night.
- Available to check in and be on site during event for any questions.
- someone to talk to Jason Lefeber to let him know details and find out what he needs from us
- talk to the city to arrange to borrow the cones, pick them up and return them
- arrange for someone to put cones out and pick up
- traffic attendant volunteers will report to this person and they will assign and train them
- if someone has a volunteer who cannot walk from Northside to the church, they will contact you. Work out an alternative parking space, with the Live Nativity Coordinator if needed. Make the Live Nativity Coordinator aware of this situation.
- Make sure all supplies are at Greeter, Donation and Hot Chocolate Stations and they are set up properly. (Tents will be set up by someone else on Saturday morning).
- Makes sure we have all supplies before event
- Be on hand during event to train people and make sure all is running smoothly in those areas.
- Organize volunteer refreshments
- Coordinate spotlights
- Figure out extension cords going across drive with 2 X 4’s and carpet.
- Puts all spotlights away at the end of the night and makes sure they are either packed up and in the pile to be taken back to the Wesley House or taken back there if later than Sunday morning.
- Most of the Christmas trees are packaged up and have lights on them. We need someone to get them setup, test the lights and coordinate getting them up and out the day of event and taken down Sunday morning after the event. Packaged back up and help transport them to the Wesley House. (You will be assigned volunteers to help).
- Finds the animals and helps figure out transportation and care for while they are here. Let’s Volunteer Coordinator know what they need in terms of volunteers to take care of the animals.
- Arranges for 24 bales of hay to be here for event and taken away at the end of the night.
- Gives direction to volunteers hanging the signs
- Makes sure we have 2 fire pits – one for the Wisemen and one for the shepherds. Gets them stocked with wood and ready to go. Starts the fires at the beginning of the event. Makes sure they are returned the day after the event.
- Finds volunteers for the caroling and assigns shifts. Provides music. Makes sure you have a “music lead” at each shift.
- Decides how the Multitude of Angels will sing and provides all necessary equipment and music. Coordinates this with the Tech person.
- If you have people who can’t walk from Northside to the church, make sure you communicate arrangements for parking closer. Work out a place with the Traffic Coordinator.
- Setup and run the FM Transmitter music for the guests
- Records a loop around the scenes to put on the website
- If the Music Coordinator has needs, they will contact with you.
- Work with actors from each scene the night of the event. Make sure they are there, dressed in costume and know what to say or do. On the night of the event, they will receive this instruction from the Stage Manager.
- Make sure all costumes and props are taken where directed at the end of the evening.
- Check on their actors to make sure they are doing as directed.
- They will work with Stage Manager.
- Work with directions from Set Coordinators to make sure a scene is setup properly on the day of the event and taken down that night. They will receive a packet of instructions from the Set Coordinator.
- Set up the tents for Hot Chocolate, Greeters and Donations and take down at the end of the night.
- make sure event is advertised in the mass email, announcement slides, during worship, in newspaper and with the UM Conference news
- get a follow-up article to the UW Conference e-news