The Nativity story comes to life in lights

Tucked behind Grandville United Methodist Church in Michigan is an eye-catching light display that brings the Christmas story to life. The 15-minute show, featuring more than 6,000 twinkling lights, runs from 5 to 9 each evening from early December through Epiphany in January. Lilla Marigza takes us there.

Watch video

In 2023, the Michigan Conference of The United Methodist Church shared this story about the Rev. Ryan Wieland and the collaborators who created the light show.

For more information on the light show, contact Grandville United Methodist Church.

Marigza is a multimedia producer for UM News. Contact her at (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.

Sign up for our newsletter!

Subscribe Now
Congregations
Mark Lynes shares a message of love while holding a sign through the open sunroof of a vehicle in the Nashville (Tenn.) Pride Parade. Lynes is a member of Glendale United Methodist Church in Nashville, which has seen membership growth due to its inclusivity efforts.

Inclusivity brings church back from the brink

In 2017, Glendale United Methodist Church didn’t look like it was going to survive long. But committed lay people, a dedicated pastor and radical inclusiveness turned things around.
Violence
United Methodist missionary Janet Lahr Lewis (left) visits with Basma Manasra as she and her family harvest olives in 2006 on their farm in the West Bank village of Wadi Foquin. The region has seen increased threats of violence and land confiscation since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. United Methodists, who have a long partnership with Wadi Foquin, have appealed to the U.S. government to help halt the annexation of Palestinian land and ensure a permanent and equitable peace between Israel and Palestine. File photo by Paul Jeffrey.

Church members urge intervention in West Bank

The California-Nevada Conference makes an appeal to the U.S. government as violence escalates in Palestinian villages, including longtime church partner Wadi Foquin.
Disaster Relief
Lahaina United Methodist Church on Maui lost its sanctuary in the deadly Maui wildfires, but its congregation never lost its faith. Photo by Lilla Marigza, UM News.

3 years after wildfire, hope spreads in Lahaina

The sanctuary is gone, but the congregation never stopped gathering. At Lahaina United Methodist Church, faith, volunteers and a vision for the future are helping a community rebuild.

United Methodist Communications is an agency of The United Methodist Church

©2026 United Methodist Communications. All Rights Reserved