COAL GROVE - Many families sit down together at this time of year to learn the true Christmas story. The Zoar Baptist Church family wants to invite your family to join theirs for the holiday classic.

The church, located at 1009 State Route 243, will present a live nativity scene and outdoor drama at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Friday and Saturday on the parking lot behind the church parsonage. The event is free and open to the public.

"So often, as you get into the Christmas season, the true meaning of Christmas gets lost. Everyone gets caught up in the gift giving and glitter," said drama director Aaron Beals. "For a lot of young kids not raised in the church, this tells the true Christmas story.

"It is an outreach into the community. This is what Christmas is all about."

The story of Jesus' birth will be told through a family scene that narrates the story. All the characters are in costume and the animals are live, Beals said.

The church has organized the event approximately 10 times in the past 15 years. Church pastor Jim Beals started it all those years ago and has seen it grow each year before turning it over to his son this year.

"Through the years, everyone that has told me they have seen it, have enjoyed it," Pastor Beals said. "Many people come back through the years and make it a part of their tradition."

And it is a tradition that is embraced by all the members of the congregation of more than 125, Aaron Beals said.

"Every member of our church has contributed in one way or another," he said. "From making costumes to making food for the actors, the list just goes on and on. … It has just been a complete church effort."

Free hot chocolate and coffee will be served.