The Episcopal Church celebrates the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6, 12 days after Christmas. That day commemorates the arrival of the wise men from the East to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn Christ child. It also marks the beginning of Epiphany season, a four- to nine-week period that ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday and features gospel stories that describe events showing Jesus’ divinity.

Planetarium Director Jon U. Bell | Photo courtesy of Indian River State College

St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce, in conjunction with Indian River State College Hallstrom Planetarium, has discovered a unique and fascinating way to celebrate this special occasion thanks to its connection with Hallstrom Planetarium Director Jon U. Bell, who is also a tenor in the St. Andrew’s choir. The church will hold its Feast of Epiphany service at the planetarium on Monday, Jan. 6, at 6 p.m., during which the venue will hold a special presentation of its popular “Star of Wonder,” which recreates the skies as they appeared 2,000 years ago.

Viewers will trace what may have been the mysterious star followed by the wise men – revealing the constellations and locations of the planets. Bell says, “The question on many attendees’ minds might very well be, ‘What was in the sky that compelled the Magi to embark on a journey of hundreds of miles across desert and mountains?’ This program will bring the audience one step closer to understanding.”

Hallstrom Planetarium Director Jon U. Bell takes questions from the audience. | Photo courtesy of Indian River State College

Vestry member Marianne Coffman, who heads up St. Andrew’s Adventures, a church outreach program, brought Bell’s connection to “Star of Wonder” to the attention of the church’s rector, the Rev. Canon Ellis Brust, back in October. When he heard her pitch for St. Andrew’s to conduct its Epiphany service at the planetarium, he didn’t hesitate.

“This is just another way for us as a parish to get out and engage with the community,” Brust said. “We do these outreaches for people to enjoy themselves, and churches that play together get stronger and healthier. You engage people in a way you wouldn’t engage them otherwise—in an unexpected way. It’s going to be fun.”

Prior to the presentation, he will celebrate the Eucharist, and participants will also enjoy praise and worship. He said the combination of the church service and “Star of Wonder” is simply “another great way to bring the gospel to the public.”

“The gospel impact here is that it helps our parishioners and others to understand what God did to lead Gentile wise people to find the incarnate Lord,” Brust explained. “The wise men were not Jewish; they were from a different culture, and what they did gave hope for others in a dark world. It’s a discipleship moment to help people see all that God does to make the Incarnation real in our day and time. It leads people to an understanding that it’s imperative for the gospel to go into all the world.”

Bell and the IRSC Hallstrom Planetarium have been hosting “Star of Wonder” since 1993, but he has been associated with the show since 1978, when he helped host it at the Hayden Planetarium in Manhattan, New York City.

The show is 36 minutes long, and Bell said the significance of the presentation is held in what the Magi saw in the sky those millennia ago.

“It’s a history lesson,” Bell said. “We’re locked into a great tradition here, and to partner with St. Andrew’s to put on this program is a blessing.”