Jesse: This December, if you find yourself
in Perth, Western Australia, sydney and

the Central Coast in New South Wales.

Melbourne or Mildura in Victoria, Tauranga
in the North Island of New Zealand,

or Christchurch in the South Island,

You'll have the opportunity to attend
one of the most extraordinary Christmas

experiences you'll find anywhere.

I'm talking about Road to Bethlehem.

In case you've never heard of it, Road
to Bethlehem is a guided reenactment

of the very first Christmas story.

The story that happened
more than 2, 000 years ago

in ancient Judea,

Starting under the oppression of the
Roman Empire, through the Herod's Palace.

dotted with sheep and their
shepherds, an obscure little stable

in the tiny village of Bethlehem.

Road to Bethlehem is truly one of a kind.

And any description, no matter
how flowery, will never live up

to actually experiencing it for yourself.

2024 sees the 30th anniversary for
the very first Road to Bethlehem.

in Melbourne, Victoria by a
small group of volunteers.

First experienced by just a few
hundred people, Road to Bethlehem

has now grown all across Australia
and New Zealand and every year

sees tens of thousands of people.

Young and old, rich and poor,
Christian and non Christian alike,

Experience the story of Jesus birth.

I must admit, though I've never
been to the Melbourne version, Road

to Bethlehem is personal for me.

Almost 10 years ago, I was a young pastor,
just graduated from university, and my

first church had a Road to Bethlehem.

In case you're wondering, it
was Tauranga, New Zealand.

Shout out to Tauranga Church.

To my shame, I had never even heard of
Road to Bethlehem beforehand, but I was

informed that as one of the pastoral staff
at this church, it was my responsibility

to be involved in the program.

Little did I know just how much
hard work would be involved.

I'm talking about months of planning,
advertising in the local community,

preparation and repair of costumes,
set design, choreography, mountains

and mountains of administrative work,
scheduling, rescheduling, filling gaps,

than a few late nights, and the mad
dash in the week before the event.

When our local primary schools oval
transformed into a first century Judea,

nothing could have prepared me for the
amount of work it takes to run a road

to Bethlehem, in the relatively small
city of Tauranga, me for how rewarding

Rote Bethlehem is.

Being able to share the story of
Jesus with people who otherwise would

never have set foot into my church.

was incredible.

Being able to see the looks on
people's faces as the angels

revealed themselves to the shepherds.

The squeals of excitement when kids
realized that Mary's little baby

Jesus was a real baby was really cool.

And the final, spiritually contemplative
moments when the angels sing

Alleluia over the newborn child.

And seeing people think through
the implications of Jesus's

birth was really special.

But Road to Bethlehem isn't about me.

Though I have incredibly fond memories
of it, Road to Bethlehem is more

than just one person's contribution.

It's an initiative unlike any other.

function.

And in this episode of Science Radio,
we're going to shine a light on the

Victorians who make the show go.

Book editor and friend of the pod,
Nathan Brown, is going to interview,

the, Director for the Melbourne
Road to Bethlehem, Alicia Ralph.

of the way and hand
the mic over to Nathan.

This is Signs Radio, episode 218,
30 years of Road to Bethlehem.

Nathan: so your official title these
days, so this, you're the current

chairperson of the organizing committee?

Alicia: I am,

Nathan: yes.

Congratulations on such an esteemed title.

Alicia: Thank you so much.

be careful what you wish for, hey?

Nathan: Is this your first year?

Alicia: No, um, third year.

Nathan: Oh, you've been, wow, okay.

I just turn up and wear a funny hat

so, you know.

Alicia: yes, yeah, third year.

It's felt a bit bigger, I think.

I think we're trying to, there's some
things that we're trying to iron out

that perhaps we have been on the boil
for, on people's hearts for a while.

And the 30th time around
feels like a good time.

Opportunity to do that.

Nathan: Yeah.

Okay.

That sounds interesting.

Maybe we'll get to that.

But firstly, what's, how long have
you been involved in the whole show?

Alicia: I think since 2000
or something like that.

I did guiding mostly actually.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So I was a guy until I, yeah, I got here.

Then you

Nathan: got onto the committee.

Alicia: Yeah.

That's right.

Nathan: Indeed.

Alicia: Yeah, Karen and Stephanie
and COVID had happened and so

the first year I was back was
really a year of re establishment.

There'd been a bit of a hiatus because
of COVID for a period of time and

even though they'd done some beautiful
online work which you're across.

the first back in the flesh session
and there was a bit of work to

do to get it all sorted again.

Nathan: Yeah.

So last year really felt like
to some degree was, the first

year was getting it back.

Last year was back full.

What was kind of the numbers last year?

Yeah, we

Alicia: had 14, 252 people
come through last year.

Nathan: You've just got that
number on the top of your head.

Nice.

Alicia: I in the last 15 minutes, I was
like, Oh yes, I'll pull up some notes.

Nathan: That's cool.

That must be pretty close
to an all time record.

I don't know.

Alicia: I think it's within the kind of
the neighborhood within the ballpark.

But.

But I think we had the Thursday of
last year, we had 3, 886 people.

And that's one of the highest
numbers of people ever at Edinburgh.

Nathan: Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

Cool.

Yeah.

Yeah, so it must be about 10 years
at Edinburgh now, except for COVID.

Alicia: Yeah, it'd be something like that.

In fact, we had a town hall meeting with
all of the area leaders before last,

and we talked a little bit about that.

You might have even more accurate
information, but, know, the 700 people.

Yeah.

These two camp mattresses painted
green and stuck together and

sets made out of cardboard.

And so I think it's such a nice moment
to look back and I think appreciate

and recognize and celebrate really.

Cause I think there's a lot of,
sweat, tears, and Jesus that

exists in, in 30 times, actually.

Nathan: Yeah, And even, the couple of
Christmas books I've helped being a part

of putting together to a significant
extent were inspired by my involvement

Road to Bethlehem and seeing how people
are open to engaging with a story at

that time of the year, kind of thing.

Yeah.

Alicia: Because I think
Australia, Australian culture

is quite secular in nature.

I think you get God's in key moments
in kind of American culture in a

way that you don't get it here.

And so I think Christmas is, I agree.

It's a lovely moment where people
will, listen to carols on the

radio that speak about Jesus.

Nathan: Yeah, and I think that's
right and I think that's why,

it's such a good thing to do.

And why, the crowds keep turning up.

Alicia: Kaz might have mentioned it.

I think in the very.

They even had some food in the manger
scene and someone came through I

think it was Kylie had thought that it
might've been my dad and he said, there's

something very special that happens here.

And I think that's the truth.

There's something that's very special
that happens in the manger scene.

it's very surreal.

Nathan: And so it, it is unique to
have the walkthrough experience.

It's a different kind of storytelling.

But on the other hand, you're also
working with volunteers and amateurs.

Why do you think it works?

On the scale that it does?

Alicia: well, I think, I think two things.

I spoke last year around this kind
of concept of Jesus maths, that when

you get 600, because last year there
was 624 volunteers, plus Jesus,

human math is one plus one plus two.

But when you get.

Jesus into the equation, there's
something, he multiplies like the bread

and the fishes, he multiplies something.

And so I think that exists.

And, but I also think that people
like with any sort of active service,

I think that people as humans,
I think it fills a part in us to

be part of That's been we are.

And so I think there's something about
the vision and the community about

serving the people that we live beside
our community in kind of vision of

a, a no strings experience of Jesus.

Um, But service is
important for us as humans.

It's like a human need.

Nathan: What do you hope that,
if a random person from Lily, the

suburb of Lilydale turns up and
says, Oh, this looks interesting.

And, goes through the experience.

What do you hope that
they take away from it?

Alicia: well, I think that one of the
Reasons Road to Bethlehem is so successful

is you can take what you want from it.

I think, in the first layer, you've got
this sense of being welcomed and there's

a warmth in that front area where people
are laughing, there's music playing,

there's there's a sense of belonging.

Things that you can do regardless
of your age or ability, whether

it be, get into the photo booth,
have some food, sit down and chat.

So I think there's something about
being, welcomed if that's what

you're asking, to be To be with
people, to be with with other humans.

So I think there's that element of it.

And then as you walk through, you can
be entertained by the soldiers and pick

that up as we move to the manger, there's
the invitation to be moved and to, to.

Open up your heart to experiencing Jesus.

I think in some ways you
go to the prayer tent.

There's the opportunity to be prayed for.

And so I think that there's I
think what am I hoping people get,

exactly what they're looking for.

Nathan: Yeah.

Fair enough.

How has your involvement
with it over 25 years?

How has your involvement changed your
appreciation of the Christmas story?

Alicia: So the committee meets from
February and this year it's been a bit

more intensive with overhauling the
website and there's been a few other

things that we've been hoping to achieve.

And so we've been meeting every 3
weeks and it'll go to every 2 weeks

when I get back from holiday and then
it'll be every, weekly for a couple

of months once we hit November.

And As part of our process, we have
worship and Phil Felberg has one of the,

and he shared the worship last week,
was this idea of the Magi and how they

link back to Daniel and, that they had
been tracking this process and talking

about some of the history of that.

And so I think my understanding
of the Christmas story.

We are thinking about it and
talking about it a lot more, we've

All year, Christmas all year.

Yeah, you understand it more intimately.

And I think there's something
very beautiful about that.

Even that kind of concept that which
you're probably aware of that idea

that, Jesus being put into the manger,
the manger was for swaddling cloth.

So they didn't harm themselves
and become unperfect.

And so this kind of symbolism of Jesus,
the perfect man being wrapped in swaddling

cloth and put in the manger, there's
something very beautiful about that.

And so I think that as part of this
process, I've come to understand

Christmas more intimately.

And I think there's, That's been like a
by product if you like from, spending more

time than you typically would thinking
about things that happen in December.

Nathan: Yeah.

And amidst all the busyness of
all the things in December, you

don't always get the time to do it.

One of the things that, Somebody pointed
out to me a couple of years ago is

that there's other churches, as in non
Adventist churches around, at least in the

eastern suburbs of Melbourne that also get
on board with and appreciate the program.

How has it worked to build connections
and friendships with, those in

our surrounding communities?

Alicia: each year we have a group
of people come and support pack up.

I'm pretty sure.

I think they arrive on a bus and they
work and I, or maybe it's set up.

I also had a man after walking through
the first year and say, Hey, I'm wanting

in on the second one, contact me and I'll
bring everyone I know to come and support.

And so we got in touch with him.

It didn't work out that way.

He was out of the country during
that time, but I just think the

generosity that comes from this idea
of shared vision is very humbling.

But I must say one of my colleagues
that I worked with I work at the Alfred.

I went Alfred Health and I worked
with a colleague called Sue Ann.

She's was, is, was a creative person
that we hired to work as part of a

piece of work I was working on and she
did I happen to be a Christian and I

found that later and last year we had
a challenge with our ticketing system.

It went down and so we converted
it to try booking and it was at

1am Shane was trying to reboot
the system and so he put it live.

Have you heard this story?

Put it live for one minute anyway,
in that one minute at 1am Sue

Ann booked a ticket and Shane.

Text SueAnn because she'd put
her details in for a ticket

and said, Hey, are you awake?

Are you a real person or are you a bot?

I'm thinking that maybe
he'd been being spa

sue.

Oh no.

This is who I'm not a bot.

I just managed to secure a couple of
tickets and it happened to be in the work

that Sue Anne and I had done together.

She no longer works with me by this time.

We'd done a bit of work in tri booking
and so she had a bit of experience there.

And so Shane and Sue Anne between
the morning hours of 1am to, 3.

30, 4am.

completely migrated all of the ticking
ticket system from our in house

solution through to try booking.

Yeah.

And so I think that's an example, just one
example of what it looks like for people

who aren't part of our church circle
to be like, Oh yeah, I'm up for this.

And so she's part of, she's part
of the area leaders and part of

our comms social media attainment.

And brought a group of people from
her church to see Road to Bethlehem

last year, including her pastor.

And yeah, I think that's an example
of what it looks like sometimes.

Nathan: Heading into the 30th year, you
mentioned that you were trying to step

up the game in a few different ways.

Alicia: Yeah.

Nathan: Anything you can reveal?

Alicia: No, I just think things like
no, just for instance, like the website.

we've recruited the
guys from Blue Vineyard.

they've, Created some really
beautiful website design

and, supporting us with that.

And so I think that kind of the, this kind
of circle of generosity that comes from

community, service, kind of active giving.

There's so many quotes about it, when
you give, you know, can't help but get,

splashed back on you, but it's this
kind of circle of giving, isn't it?

That when you give, you actually are
replenished by more than what you give.

And so, that then circles
through the people that they

know and their circles as well.

And I think that's
something that we're doing.

We're also, there's.

Because of the 30th year that we're
having some different moments where

people can connect in and do a bit of
reminiscing and I think praise also for

the ways that, Jesus has shown up for
road to Bethlehem over a long period of

time, and there's so many stories of the
weather forecast looking like serious

storms and it going around where road to
Bethlehem is located and, there's plenty

of beautiful stories in relation to

Nathan: So is there a risk know,
after 30 years of essentially

telling the same story?

Is there a risk that it gets a bit
stale for, particularly for some of

the people who just do it year after
year and Or how does it stay fresh?

Alicia: What's a story as old as time?

We're starting to, aren't we,
you know, why does anyone you

know, we have our different

traditions that we do at Christmas
time, whether it be, watching a movie,

a certain, you know, always watch
The Grinch, or you always watch Love

Actually, or whatever that might be.

And so, people actually gravitate
towards what's known actually.

And so I think traditions
are born out of that.

And so I think that's one element.

And I think that there's this avenue
of sharing, how do people come

to know about Road to Bethlehem?

We do a little bit of direct
but it's mostly word of mouth.

And so does the experience change when
you, bring your colleagues from work there

was a story last year about a man who'd
been asking his colleague, if you want it

to come or in fact, that's Phil's story.

Asking.

a colleague if they wanted to come
to Road to Bethlehem for five years.

And then they came the
following year and went twice.

And does it, maybe the facet, the
facet of it changes because of course

Road to Bethlehem, the experience is
multi layered as we've spoken about.

Is it about, stepping into the front
area and you don't go any further?

Is it about, taking a trip around,
is it then around, having a prayer

request or going into the prayer tent,
so this kind of idea that this multi

layered approach, this multi factorial
experience, which is Road to Bethlehem,

actually, is that part of its secret?

I'm not sure to keeping it fresh.

This idea of, we always get what
we're looking for and there's

enough for what people are looking
for in Road to Bethlehem to

keep it rejuvenated and fresh.

Nathan: And as you said, people
have been retelling the story,

the core story for 2, 000 years.

So what's 30 in that scale?

Alicia: That's completely

Nathan: true.

Alicia: you know,

Jeffrey Jones, of course, is
the brainchild behind this.

But just more recently Carly's uncle,
David Jones um, has relinked in and

he's working on a particular As for
the 30th, something we've been inspired

by was the light show in the city.

David Jones is, working on a light
display for Road to Bethlehem.

I mean, We're still hoping it works.

It's still in, it's in trial stage.

It's been prototyped pretty well.

And it's something that we are investing
in that the effort there, but this kind

of idea that you can actually, he was in
it, and then maybe he, I had, maybe he

jumped out for a bit and now he's back in.

And so this kind of, this beauty of, You
know, you don't have to be going hell

for leather, road to Bethlehem style
for years, even though plenty of people

have been, you can actually dependent on
where your life's at at this moment in

time, you can actually give what you've
got to give this kind of idea that,

you know yeah, it's not one size fits
all just because you did X last year.

It doesn't mean that you can't try
something new in the new year and

that there's actually, there's heaps
of scope to, to participate and to

be part of something as big as this.

Jesse: What more is there to say?

Aside from, if you find yourself in
any of the locations where Road to

Bethlehem is happening this year, you
need to get yourself, your family,

your friends, your dog, or maybe
not your dog, and anybody else who's

willing to go to a road to Bethlehem.

It's free, it's fun, and it's fantastic.

Alicia, Shane and myself haven't
convinced you, well, maybe you just need

to go and experience it for yourself.

The website to get in touch with A.

Rose Bethlehem near you will be in
the show notes, so check that out.

Aside from that, if you want to
read the articles that Nathan wrote,

you'll be able to do so right now
for free by heading to ScienceMag.

com.

Alternatively, you can also subscribe
to the magazine where you'll get

his articles plus much, much more.

Again, at ScienceMag.

com.

If you'd like to get in touch with
us, the website is your best bet.

There's a contact form where you
can send us a message, or you can

do so on our social media platforms.

All those links are
also in the show notes.

If you enjoyed this episode, or indeed
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You can also find us on YouTube.

Aside from that, thank you once
again for listening and I'll

see you in the next episode.