Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Service this week

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Dr. Stanley Workman is ready to welcome the community for the 31st anniversary of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Service, which he brought to the community after accepting a position at Second Presbyterian many years ago.

According to Workman, it first began as a ‘special musical worship service,’ occurring on one of the Sundays before Christmas. In 2000, the church moved the event to a weekday evening in order to share this event with the community.

“The response from the community has been wonderfully supportive, and it has been very well-attended,” Workman said. “The people who attend this event will first experience the visual beauty of the festively decorated sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church, and then the beautiful sounds from the choir and orchestra.”

This year is special for Workman.

“While technically the 31st anniversary of our first performance in 1992, it’s the 30th performance since there was no performance in 2020,” Workman explained. “These services began as part of the regular morning worship services on the fourth Sunday of Advent, but in 2000, we moved the service to a weekday evening, so that the community could be invited to attend.”

The service is the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Service, which originated from King’s College, Cambridge in 1918. The service offers scripture lessons from the Old and New Testament, alternating with carols and anthems of the season.

The musical selections will feature choral and instrumental music of Barlow Bradford, John Rutter, Mack Wilberg David Willcocks, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

“The choir, which has been rehearsing since early November, will include nearly forty singers, comprised of members of the Second Presbyterian Chancel Choir and friends,” Workman said. “The orchestra will bring together professional orchestral players from Cincinnati, Charleston, Huntington, Columbus, and Lexington, as well as from our local area. I think it promises to be beautiful and moving event.”

Pastor Rev. Allison Bauer will serve as the worship leader and reader of the scripture lessons.

“Music reaches into the depths of our souls in a way nothing else can. It touches our hearts in a way that nothing else can, even if we can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Through the Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols, the stories of our faith, including the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus, and deeply held beliefs sink deep into our memories through these songs, especially when we sing thee hymns together as a gathered congregation. It is a holy time,” Bauer explained. “We also believe music is a gift God has particularly blessed our congregation and our friends in the community, so we are glad to use that gift together and honor God each Christmas. There’s nothing else like it in Portsmouth, and we are excited to keep this tradition alive!”

This event has had an impact on many in the community, as it has become a cornerstone in the season of celebration in Portsmouth.

“The beauty of a small community is the wide variety of styles of Christmas celebrations,” Michael Raies, local optometrist, elder and chancel choir member of 2nd Presbyterian, said. “The Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols is a long-standing tradition among local Christmas celebrations and has made great memories for so many people in the Portsmouth area over the years. For many, it brings home the true meaning of the season through the lessons and music.

The event is free and open to the public. The concert is December 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 801 Waller Street.

“I think this event gives the community the opportunity to come into this sacred worship space, hear the beautiful singing of the choir, the glorious strains of the orchestra, and experience the true meaning of Christmas in the recounting of the story through word and song,” Workman said.

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.

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