Area Churches Get Creative for Christmas
By Christopher Miller
As 2020 winds down and we further approach the Christmas season, our local places of worship have taken to creative and extraordinary measures to ensure Christmas for the masses.
As nothing about this year has been “normal,” the religious and spiritual alike can find at least a glimpse of normalcy in the way they may be able to worship during these troubling times.
Below are a few examples of how churches in our area have planned to conduct Christmas Eve services this year. The following churches were contacted at random for the purpose of writing this article and taking a survey. While many churches are celebrating Christmas in their own way this year, please contact your preferred house of worship to learn about how you may be able to worship this year either in-person (if they are holding services in-person) or remotely.
Avis United Methodist Church
A Christmas Eve service will be observed in an outdoor, campfire setting. Readings will be from The Voice Bible, which is a more modern translation of the traditional Bible, reading almost in the format of a play. Silent Night will also be played, and Christmas messages will be posted to the Avis United Methodist Church Facebook page available on Facebook @AvisUMC.
Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church
Canon Daniel Selvage reports that there will be no in-person worship on Christmas Eve, as observed and passed down by the diocese. There will be a pre-recorded message available on the church Facebook group and YouTube for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As mentioned, there is a church Facebook group, but you do not have to be a member of it to access the content. Simply go to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Lock Haven on Facebook. As well, the elements/communion will be available in a “to-go” format on Christmas Eve from 1pm to 4pm. The public is invited to come in and pray, then take the blessed elements to go to celebrate during the recorded service online.
Holy Spirit Parish
This year’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Masses will be held both in-person and live-streamed online. If you are interested in viewing the live-stream, the public is invited to check the Holy Spirit Parish website for a link and more information, www.HolySpiritLockHaven.org. Due to restrictions, available seating is down to 25 – 33% of normal capacity in all of the church buildings. Because of this, the parish has opted to go to a reservation-only system for both days. The public is urged to call the church office for available seating. An Usher will have a list of people and locations that they may sit at within the church with their families. If there are any empty seats, they will be available on the day of at the time of the service, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Also to make mention that there is plenty of room available for the Christmas Day Masses, but the public must reserve their seat in advance. For the Lock Haven office call 570-748-4594, and for the Renovo office please call 570-923-0172. Mass times are as follows:
Christmas Eve
•4pm – St. Joseph Catholic Church Renovo
•7pm – St. Agnes
•10pm – Immaculate Conception
Christmas Day
•8am – Immaculate Conception
•9:30am – St. Agnes
•12pm – St. Joseph Catholic Church Renovo
Common Place Church
The Common Place Church is taking a 4 week pause from in-person services. They have been offering church services over Facebook Live @CommonPlaceChurch since the beginning of the pandemic, but they also do something else that differs from most “sit and watch” streamed church service. They have adopted interactive technology, where they ask questions throughout the service and interact with the people watching live, along with texting numbers for prayer requests and the like. Their service will be on Christmas Eve at 7pm on Facebook Live. The message will be focused on how to pause in the middle of the chaos of our daily lives and reflect to hear God’s voice. “God is always working in the background,” explained Pastor Josh Grimes.
Great Island Presbyterian Church
During the Advent season, Great Island Presbyterian Church has been conducting services virtually and pre-recorded. Last week a Christmas pageant was pieced together from individual videos recorded by church goers and uploaded to Facebook and YouTube. Each video is a full church service including prelude and postlude music, praise band music, prayers, readings, and a sermon. The video for Christmas Eve will be recorded this Sunday, pieced together and released online to church social media and website pages sometime on the morning of Christmas Eve. Visit www.GreatIslandPresby.org, @GreatIslandPresby on Facebook, or find them on their YouTube page.
