First Church West Hartford will welcome the public to its Christmas Eve service.

By Cassidy Ward

First Church West Hartford will hold a Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, Dec. 24 at 5 p.m. This family worship service will be open for all ages to gather, sing familiar Christmas carols, and light candles together as a congregation. The Christmas Eve service will feature live music from the First Church Brass Quintet.

First Church Music Director Jim Boratko says, “For Christmas Eve, the First Church Brass Quintet will be playing preludes and accompanying the carols for the evening. The Adult Choir will sing two beloved anthems by Ralph Vaughn Williams and John Rutter, and of course, O Holy Night will be the offertory for service.”

The Christmas Eve service will be a time for spiritual reflection, community gathering, and musical meditation. Many members of the First Church community look forward to this annual service for its message and time for musical contemplation.

Prepare to hear familiar Christmas stories reborn in a new way. Senior Pastor Rev. Fredd Ward reflects on delivering the Christmas Eve message saying, “Early in my ministry, I struggled faithfully every Christmas Eve to deliver a homily that would hopefully inspire the congregation in the midst of the most magical worship service of the year. I doubt my efforts ever succeeded. In recent years, I’ve learned that it’s also faithful to get out of God’s way and let the scriptures and songs tell the story – the story of holy love born in Bethlehem. I look forward to hearing it again and anew!”

Join the First Church community in celebrating the birth of Jesus during this year’s Christmas Eve service. For more information on the life of the church, please visit the website.

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