Living Nativity on display

The New Utrecht Reformed Church invites residents of Bensonhurst, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Fort Hamilton and beyond to visit its famous outdoor Living Nativity, on the church lawn, 18th Avenue between 83rd and 84th streets, featuring live animals and actors in Biblical costumeson December 19, from 3 to 6 p.m. There will also be a worship service of Lessons and Carols at the church Parish House Christmas Eve (December 24) at 9 p.m.The Living Nativity tradition began at the Bensonhurst church in 1956 as a Christmas gift to residents of the area. New costumes for the actors were provided five years ago by a Boy Scout working on an Eagle project. Until Christmas 2003, the nativity scene and Christmas carols attracted visitors to the church’s sanctuary building, dating from 1828, with its famous stained-glass windows, pipe organ and architecture, with little Dutch doors at the entrance to the pews. That building, next to the Parish House, is undergoing a $2 million repair and restoration. For additional information call 718-236-0678. Information on Brooklyn’s earliest history, as the town of New Utrecht, can be obtained by calling 718-256-7173 and at www.historicnewutrecht.org.