This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The centuries-old Christian tale of a newborn in a manger is essentially an intimate story about every human family — mother, father, baby. It tells of a child, at once humble and heroic, about the immense power of possibility, the subtle strength of a god in embryo and the awe of onlookers.

But some Utah County folks are going for a bigger version — indeed, the biggest nativity tableau they can create.

They enlisted more than 1,000 volunteers and musicians, including singers David Archuleta, Alex Boye and members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a news release states, to help break the Guinness World Record for Largest Live Nativity Scene.

The Daily Herald of Provo reported (http://bit.ly/1FJW2h8 ) that a Guinness World Record judge determined there were 1,039 participants in the production that also included a camel, donkey and sheep.

That tops the record of 898 people at a nativity scene last year in the United Kingdom.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.