Roser celebrates Christ's birth

The annual Bethlehem Walk at Roser Memorial Community Church included nearly 75 costumed worshipers and assorted animals in a modern recreation of the night Joseph and Mary went from inn to inn in Bethlehem seeking a room for the night, only to be turned away. They strolled the Anna Maria neighborhood on a chilly Saturday night and then at the church shared carols, hot chocolate and cookies. Islanders John and Charlene Belsito and their year-old daughter Sophia portrayed Joseph, Mary and Jesus, while Pastor Gary Batey, center read the story of Christ's birth to the gathering around the baby in a manger.

Anna Maria angels

Lyndsy Bell, 8, of Anna Maria, Nicole Pierce, 9, of Anna Maria, and Erin Tribble, 9, of Bradenton, dressed for the Bethlehem Walk at Roser Church appropriately as angels.