“They came to the realization of the meaning of the Nativity scene.”

Janet Mabie
Special to Spur Ottawa

Oh, little town of Renfrew, how still you frequent lie. Yet, Renfrew’s peace was recently disturbed by the theft of the life-size baby Jesus figurine from one of the town’s Nativity scenes (and by the flurry of media attention that followed).

Every Christmas, this much loved Nativity scene sits on display in front of the Renfrew Town Hall in Low Square. This year, however, on December 2, organizers discovered that the baby Jesus was missing. The discovery came shortly before the annual Nativity scene lighting service, held the first Sunday of Advent.

“For 20 years we gather all faiths to sing carols and read the Word of the coming of Jesus,” explains Diana Wakely, the display’s artist and a member of the Put Christ Back Into Christmas Committee. Despite the absence of the “main attraction”, the celebration went on as planned.

The group appealed to the unidentified perpetrator to return their beloved figurine, and three days later, the person did. A town employee found the figurine left in the town hall parking lot early in the morning of December 5.

“This project became an ecumenical project.”

This Nativity scene has a deep history and a special place in the heart of the Renfrew community. It is dedicated to Vern Yemen, a member of the Knights of Columbus who contributed his one-dimensional Nativity scene to the community’s annual Christmas parade and town hall for many years.

One year, Wakely says she “approached Vern, as an artist, and suggested we do something bigger and more visual for the community. He laughed and agreed. Vern died that November, suddenly, and the Nativity scene became my focus.”

With support from the Put Christ Back Into Christmas Committee and many in the community, Wakely’s vision of a life-size papier-mâché Nativity scene quickly became a reality.

“This project became an ecumenical project,” she says. “There were Catholic youth, United Church youth, Salvation Army, Christian School, nurses from Para-med, and Community Living participants.”

After 20 years, the Nativity scene was an established tradition in the town. The disappearance of the baby Jesus created quite a stir and brought significant local and media focus to the Put Christ Back Into Christmas movement—an initiative that reminds the community the real reason for the season.

“God must have a reason for us to have so much publicity.”

“I know the residents of Renfrew were upset [about the theft],” Wakely says, “but, they, too, came to the realization of the meaning of the Nativity scene.”

Despite the wrong done, the hope, faith, peace, and joy of the true Christmas message shines clearly through their response. They demonstrated God’s powerful love through offering forgiveness to the anonymous perpetrator.

Just as the people of Renfrew hoped and waited for their baby Jesus to be returned, the people of the Old Testament hoped and waited for the coming Messiah, and the Church today anticipates the return of Christ, the Lord and Saviour.

“God must have a reason for us to have so much publicity. Maybe it was to put Jesus back in His [manger] and put Christ back in Christmas,” says Wakely. “On that note, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas.”