December 16, 2002

CAMEL LOT: Victoria church keeps a camel
___By Mark Wingfield
___Managing Editor
___VICTORIA--The newest purchase of Northside Baptist Church in Victoria comes with one hump, not two.
___The church recently acquired its own live camel for use in annual Christmas pageants.

SHEPHERD Wes Cole and king John Johnson rehearse with Lucille in the sanctuary of Northside Baptist Church in Victoria, where the camel is starring in this year's Christmas pageant.

___In the off-season, 7-year-old Lucille will live on a ranch owned by a church member. But right now, she's a star of the church's pageant, which ran twice daily for seven nights. This year's pageant began Dec. 9 and continued through Dec. 15.
___"When she makes her entrance in the pageant, the crowd just lights up," said Mickey Ewing, associate pastor for worship and Lucille's up-line supervisor.
___Between performances, Lucille greets children on the church yard.
___Northside has produced the elaborate pageant for 18 years. For the last several years, the church rented a camel for a scene where the magi come to visit Jesus.
___But this year, the price to rent a camel "just skyrocketed," Ewing said. For the equivalent of two years' rent, the church could purchase its own camel.
___"It's not something that when I started in ministry I ever thought would pass my lips, but buying a camel was good stewardship," he explained.
___Besides the initial cost to acquire Lucille, ongoing expenses will be minimal, he predicted, noting she eats grass and hay.
___Ewing's not sure of all Lucille's vital statistics, but on height, he has a pretty good measure: "She's an inch shy of being door height."
___The pageant is held in the church's sanctuary, where Lucille stoops her head to enter and then passes her hump under the door frame with barely room to spare.
___About 12,000 people were expected to attend this year's Christmas pageant performances at the church that averages 700 in Sunday morning worship.
___About 500 church members work in the pageant in some capacity, which builds morale and enthusiasm among the congregation, Ewing reported.
___"We plug in people who can swing a hammer but who can't sing a lick, who can sew or use a hot-glue gun. People who wouldn't dream of teaching a Sunday School class can carry a prop."
___And then, there's Lucille, who has been gladly accepted for who she is.
___"The church's response has been delightful," Ewing said. "She's ours, and she has a personality. They've already grown attached to her."
___And camels carry a long life expectancy as well, he added. "A camel lives to be 40 to 50 years old. In all likelihood, Lucille's ministry will exceed my own."
___

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