January 2026 Stake Bulletin

A church is more than just a building. It’s a community of believers, where we support each other in becoming better followers of Jesus Christ.

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Completing the Bethlehem guest and staff surveys helps turn meaningful experiences into inspired understanding—gathering information that invites reflection, learning, and spiritual insight. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf has taught, when information is guided by purpose, it can become inspiration that strengthens future efforts to draw hearts closer to Jesus Christ.

Guest Engagement

• Tickets reserved: 6,338

• Estimated guests checked in: 4,451 (70% of tickets reserved)

• Light the World Photo Booth: 467 photos captured and shared with guests

• Pass-along cards distributed: 20,000 (in nine languages)

THE TAX: Light the World Giving:

• Food collected: 2,024 lbs

• Clothing collected: 1,047 lbs

• Toys collected: 567

THE TOWN: Shekels collected: 12,587, distributed across 16 Town activity categories:

• Bakery: 2,650

• Fruit Stand: 1,820

• Stone: 1,062

• Pottery: 947

• Animals: 894

• Fish Pond: 826

• Slingshot: 657

• Jewels: 599

• Outfitters: 577

• Chicken: 524

• Tannery: 453

• Dreidel: 416

• Weaver: 345

• School: 333

• Hero – Noah Photo Op: 248

• Carpenter: 236

Service & Staffing

• 757 Light the World volunteers total:

  • 193 Logistics & Support

  • 96 Cast & Crew

  • 258 Town

  • 149 Reception

  • 58 Tax

  • Duplicate removed from total if a staff member served in multiple areas

• Missionaries assisting:

• 206 total (approximately one-third of the mission serving each evening)

• 72 supporting tear-down

Giving Machine

• Data to be shared in February

Photos are arranged to mirror the journey of each guest—from The Tax to The Reception. Within The Town, images are thoughtfully grouped by activity, inviting you to linger, explore, and relive each moment.

GUEST REGISTRATION

Town Entrance

Why there was no room at the inn!

Welcome House & Distribution of Shekels

Guests observe and gently pet animals, reflecting daily life in Bethlehem.

Guests sample bread and grind wheat using traditional tools.

No room.

Visitors try basic carpentry.

Guests interact with live chickens, learning about animals kept in ancient Bethlehem.

Families and friends gather to play the dreidel, a traditional Hanukkah game.

Guests fish from a small pond and explore aquatic plants.

Dried fruit is shared with guests, recalling foods common to ancient Bethlehem.

Young women perform traditional Hebrew dances throughout the evening.

Guests practice writing Hebrew characters and create a Hanukkah card.

Guests reenact Bible stories featuring Noah and family and take photos.

Visitors paint Hebrew symbols on stones as a personal keepsake.

Guests create a bracelet representing prophetic promises about Christ’s birth.

Visitors dress in period clothing and pose for photos in the town..

Guests shape clay pots and add a light, creating a glowing lantern to carry with them.

Visitors use slingshots to aim at animal cutouts, recalling shepherd life.

Guests explore leatherworking and stamp symbols onto leather keepsakes.

Visitors contribute to looms or weave a small project to take home.

Caesar and Roman guards represent the ruling authority that governed Judea at the time of Jesus Christ’s birth.

Despised tax collectors portray the burden of taxation in Judea and the resentment many felt under Roman rule at the time of Christ’s birth.