Sunday 15 December 2019

63. Queen's Road Baptist Church, Coventry


It’s only a couple of weeks to Christmas and my visit to this fine looking church right on Coventry’s noisy ring road coincides with that most traditional of offerings, the Nativity play. 

Queen’s Road Baptist Church has fitted its performance in with its normal Sunday family service so there’s a mixture of parents and those for whom dressing gowns, tea towel head-dresses and donkey masks are a a fairly distant memory. On the way in a welcomer warns me of the change in the usual schedule and promises that everything will probably go wrong. In the event, though, it all goes well - as these things invariably do.

This is a straightforward telling of the story but with the added fun of just a bit of irreverent humour in the dialogue. Joseph expresses his initial shock at the news, the parents-to-be complain about the distance the donkey trek to Bethlehem will take and the innkeeper is caught between being overworked by the arrival of so many people and just revelling in the extra cash.
Youngsters of all ages take the parts - and the microphones - and there are some splendid costumes on show. Music comes in the form of a few charming songs and some brilliant modern, reinvented handbells.  At the end there’s applause and chocolates for all.

A lot is said about the advantages and pitfalls of religion in education. Many schools these days (if not most) opt for a Christmas offering. Gone are the shepherds, wise men, angels and so on and there’s no manger and no Jesus. If nothing else, the Christmas play is a lot of youngsters’ first introduction to working together to produce something to be proud of. The messages are just as hopeful, just as moral, but in these times of cultural and religious diversity no one religion is promoted above others. 

I can understand that but I do think the idea of not offending other faiths is becoming a bit outdated now. In my early school days we were still doing scripture and learning bible stories. We then had Religious Education - almost exclusively Christian and still focussed on singing the praises of our overseas missionaries.

That became Religious Studies and then Comparative Religious Studies by the time my children went through school. Christianity (and the nativity story) takes its place in a process allowing us all to learn about others and be learned about in our turn. Most schools I come into contact with seem to take diversity in their stride. I’ve seen Diwali projects, Eid celebrations and bits and bobs representing the whole world of culture and faith. Nobody was offended and plenty was learned

I remember my own debut in the local nativity play. It was held in a very dark, imposing church and it was the day I learned what the word ‘haunted’ meant. Someone a bit older than me said the ghost of a frightening woman could be seen at the top of a wooden staircase we had to pass to reach the stage and I spent the whole time in complete terror. It wasn’t the threat of ghost which led me to tears though.  As one of the three kings we were given presents to present to the baby Jesus. Mine was a well-wrapped but palpably empty box and I remember being terrified at how such a blatant bit of cheating. 

Those are the only memories I have and I wonder what some of today’s performers will recall a lifetime from now. Whatever those memories may be it would be good to think that they’re triggered by watching another generation of youngsters taking part in the same tradition.