Wheaton church offers online 'Longest Night' service Dec. 21
Recognizing that the holidays are not always a time of joy and cheer - and that this year may be particularly difficult for many people experiencing isolation, illness, and loss - Wheaton's Gary United Methodist Church invites the public to a "Longest Night" online service.
Join them from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, online at www.garychurch.org. It is free and open to the public.
Traditionally held on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, the service will provide an opportunity to remember missing loved ones, share our hurting places with God, or simply step aside from the stresses of the season. The evening will include music, prayer, candle lighting, and scripture.
All are welcome, regardless of church affiliation, to access the service at www.garychurch.org beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 21 through Tuesday, Dec. 22.
On Thursday, Dec. 24, experience music, joy, and community in worshipping Jesus Christ from your home during the online Christmas Eve service from 4 to 5 p.m. The service, which will be prerecorded and available for viewing at 4 p.m. or any time after, will be intergenerational and meant for everyone. Children will tell us the Christmas story (in their own words), our virtual choir will sing a Christmas hymn, and we will enjoy a photo montage of past Christmas Eve services. There will be additional excellent music, a powerful sermon, and ways for you to participate in your home. Enter into the story of the incarnation and the light of salvation Christ brings!
On Christmas Eve, the congregation will gather outdoors to sing "Silent Night" by candlelight from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Their voices will fill the air and the candles will light the night as the carillon leads the Christmas hymn at 7 p.m. Arrive early to find parking. Luminaries will glow in a perimeter around the building and adjacent sidewalks, showing proper distancing of six feet. Please wear masks and bring your own candles (or flashlights or cellphones!). They will be in place at 7 p.m., light the candles, and sing four stanzas of "Silent Night."
Located just north of downtown Wheaton at 224 N. Main St., Gary UMC is an active, mission-oriented congregation with deep roots in the community going back over 160 years. Currently, worship services are livestreamed at 9 a.m. each Sunday with additional virtual opportunities for adults, youth, and children. The church also operates a preschool that provides a quality and safe Christian environment for the children of the community.
For more information, call (630) 668-3100.