Five Summit Hill churches held open houses which featured special attractions for the Christmas season, including a living Nativity, a collection of about 100 crèches, music and a living Nativity recently.

Also participating were the Summit Hill Historical Society and the Summit Hill Heritage Center.The Historical Society coordinated the event. Churches which participated were St. Joseph's Catholic Church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Hope of Christ Presbyterian Church, Methodist Church and Church on the Rock.The living Nativity was staged by youngsters from the Church on the Rock, which holds services at the Heritage Center.Gabriella Mistretta portrayed Mary and Aiden Cleary was Joseph. A doll was used for Baby Jesus.Shepherds were Kirstin Philipovich and Hannah Devonshire.The Wise Men were Kristiana Mistretta, Ariana Mistretta and Victoria Johnson. Brielle Gosselin was an angel.The short play consisted of Mary and Joseph entering Bethlehem and finding no room at the inn. They settled for the manger. The wise men entered with their gifts."It is nice to see the youth active in the church," said Michelle Stermer.Her husband, David, agreed, saying, "It's nice to see a church that is focusing on the meaning of Christmas."St. Joseph's Catholic Church had several events, with the main one being the huge display of crèches.The crèches were from local individuals and all were different.There was one made from beeswax. Another was a crèche from Germany. One was from Slovakia.There were crèches made from wood and others made from metal.One was so small that it fit inside a nut shell."This is amazing," said Bonnie Cox of Penn Forest Township. "They're all beautiful. The way the churches came together today is incredible. It's simply wonderful."This marks the first time the historical society put together such an event in the community, said Mary Ann Szczecina, a member of the organization.Also at St. Joseph's Church, special music was played by Kathie Crampsie, Katrina Horvath, Emily Haas and Mallory Gould.The Hope of Christ Presbyterian Church featured a choral concert by its Christmas Choir, which was under the direction of David Perkins. It included traditional selections as well as contemporary anthems.Marc Gardiner gave a special Power Point presentation.Traditional Christmas décor was the theme for the Methodist Church.At St. Paul's Lutheran Church, there was a special performance by Abigail Vermillion on the flute and Jen Vermillion on the organ.Besides played some solos, the two musicians also led visitors in a singalong, taking requests. Among the songs that were sung were "Hark the Herald Angels Sing," "Away in a Manger" and "O Come All Ye Faithful."The Heritage Center had on display a large crèche that, according to center manager Deb Ranck, was the original 1930 crèche from the former United Church of Christ. The Heritage Center took over the building after the church closed.Some historical documents of the Heritage Center also were displayed, including the original 1855 contract for the Reformed Church and the 1856 deed. Newspaper articles, photos and other relics were also shown.Ranck said of the overall day of events, "I think it's wonderful. It was well-received and well-attended."Michelle Stermer said, "There was a good variety of entertainment."Szczecina said the historical society already anticipates holding the event again next December.