news-record.com

Reconstructing Bethlehem can be backbreaking work.

And yet, every year, Martha Wood finds herself on the stage of Greensboro's First Moravian Church building a miniature replica of Bethlehem from 2,000 years ago. Torso bent, her body looks like an upside-down L for several hours.

She covers oddly shaped papier-mâché mounds with green and brown moss. When complete, they look like mountains surrounding the village. Wood pours a trail of sand to make a road that leads to a cardboard temple. And she assembles people that stand about as tall as her pinky or index finger. They walk along the road, gather by the well or stand outside white cardboard houses and storefronts. By the end of the afternoon, her hands are gritty, and her pants flecked with sand, dirt and dust.

Wood is among a handful of volunteers who create the church's putz, or Christmas exhibit. The putz is always on display for First Moravian Church's Candle Tea attended by 2,000 to 3,000 annually. This year's Candle Tea begins at 2 p.m. Friday and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday.

The event, like a holiday bazaar, is open to the public, and items are sold. But the focus remains on Moravian traditions. Programs and demonstrations are centered on Moravian life in the U.S. from colonial times. Guests can see how beeswax candles and Moravian stars are made. They also are encouraged to sit by the fire in "the tavern," where lemonade, Moravian coffee and sugar cake are served.

Church members participate in a number of ways. They make Advent wreaths, chicken pies, apple dumplings, gingerbread and other baked goods and crafts to sell in the fellowship hall.

The word putz (sounds like foots), comes from the German word putzen. It means to decorate or clean. Each putz is different but traditionally centers on a manger.

The putz at First Moravian is built on the stage of the church's fellowship hall. Half of the putz is a scene of Bethlehem; the other half depicts an early American farm village. That side of the stage features miniature homes, lit with lights and snow made of marble dust. A Christmas tree stands at front and center of the stage. It's decorated with ornaments made of natural materials -- dried flowers, pine cones and small beeswax candles. A new Moravian star -- made by member Sam Post -- tops the tree this year. With help from her son and grandsons, putz organizer Joann Davis assembled the small Nativity scene at the tree's base.

Davis started helping with the putz about 20 years ago. Libby Holder led putz operations back then. Holder, who died earlier this year, handcrafted or painted many of the pieces that are still part of the putz. She bought set pieces when she traveled and even saw putz prop potential in discarded items along city streets. An abandoned ramp now serves as a hill for sledders.

"It's sort of like playing house or make-believe," Davis said, observing Wood's careful handiwork.

Wood, who isn't a church member, got involved in the putz through her daughter, Lauren Mickey. Mickey, who became a Moravian when she married in 2001, assists Davis with putz construction.

On a recent day, Wood straightened her back and surveyed Bethlehem. She took in the rolling mossy hills, the sandy trail to the temple, the small pebbles surrounding the village well. It's fun to put it together, she says.

Davis observed Wood's work and nodded her approval: "It's different this year, but I like it."

Contact Tina Firesheets at 373-3498 or tina.firesheets @news-record.com