Christmas by Candlelight to be Held December 8 at MOC
MOUNT OLIVE – University of Mount Olive will host the fifth annual Christmas by Candlelight on December 8th. There will be two Christ-centered services this year with the first beginning at 2:30 PM and the second at 6:30 PM in the Mount Olive Assembly Hall located at 207 Wooten Street.
The services will be patterned after the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a traditional English evening service which began in Cambridge in 1918, and will include Scripture lessons and tracing salvation history. Each reading will be followed by a carol. Music for the service will be provided by the University of Mount Olive Music Department and other local choirs including the Mount Olive Middle School Choir and a choir made-up of local high school students directed by Holly Beasley.
Coordinator of the event the Reverend Carla Williamson, campus chaplain, said, “Christmas by Candlelight is a great way to recognize the Advent season. Adding an afternoon service in addition to the evening service will hopefully accommodate even more people who wish to share in this special event, including those who do not like to drive at night and those who have young children who need to be in bed early. As we are preparing for our Christmas by Candlelight program we are reminded of our Christian values which serve as the very foundation of our College. We are also reminded that at the foundation of our Christian beliefs is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. With all of that in mind and with the wonderful history of working together with our community, we prepare this evening as a gift to the community, a way that University of Mount Olive can give back to those who mean so much to us.”
Both services are free and open to the public, but general admission tickets are required due to limited seating. Williamson also noted that luminaries are available for purchase in honor and in memory of loved ones. Funds collected will go towards the Coats for Kids project in Mount Olive. To obtain FREE general admission tickets, contact Melba Ingram at mingram@moc.edu or call 919-299-4582.
University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The College, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Goldsboro, Research Triangle Park, Washington and Jacksonville. For more information, visit www.moc.edu.