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Just a few weeks ago, on Christmas Eve, the sounds of Christmas hymns could be heard resonating from St. John’s Episcopal Church in Glasgow as congregants from at least six local area churches came together for a joint community service of Christmas Lessons and Carols.
St. John’s Episcopal Church has been hosting this community service on Christmas Eve for the past five years, excluding 2020 because of Covid. Led by several clergy over the years, this year the service was conducted by the Rev. Dr. Bob Copenhaver of Roanoke and the Rev. Brandall Branch of Glasgow.
Despite the temperatures that night being around 20 degrees, the church was filled with 70 attendees.
The service opened with “A Night Like Any Other: An Orchestral Impression of the Nativity” composed and synthesized digitally by Josh and Karyn Gardner. The sixminute- long piece consisting of bells, sitars, violins, cellos and multiple brass and percussion instruments played as a prelude while attendees settled into pews for the service. St. John’s senior warden, Dave VanOsten, then welcomed everyone.
This year, guest singers sisters Sarah and Bethany Gardner of Utah State University, led by their brother Josh Gardner bearing the Cross, processed from the narthex through the congregation while singing the first two verses of “Once in Royal David’s City.” The congregation then joined in singing the remaining verses of the hymn.
Participation in the service has increased over the years. This year, like the year before, each of the five lessons was read by a member of a different denomination. This year, those represented were Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Pentecostal.
The Rockbridge Chime Choir, led by director John Neuerburg and made up of musicians Barbara Van Kuiken, Jill Lund, Susan Alexander, Jeanne Tompkins, Ruth Martin, Naomi Gardner, Bethany Gardner, Sarah Gardner, Scott Dransfield, and accompanied by Ryan Armstrong on organ, presented the first carol, “It Came Upon A Midnight Clear.”
As each of the next four lessons were completed, congregants joined together in singing “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” “Angels We Have Heard on High,” “Silent Night” and “What Child is This,” each one following a Bible reading, as Bert Buford on organ and Josh Gardner on euphonium led the music.
As is customary in an Episcopal church, a Holy Eucharist was read, presided over by the Rev. Dr. Copenhaver and Rev. Branch. Both pastors then administered Holy Communion to all who wished to partake while Gardner siblings Sarah, Bethany and Josh sang “O Holy Night” accompanied by Barbara Van Kuiken on organ. The congregation then joined in singing along as the Holy Communion cycled through.
In celebration of so many different faiths coming together to celebrate the season as one, the final congregational hymn was “O Come All Ye Faithful” led by Bert Buford on organ and Josh Gardner on cornet accompanied by Daniel Gardner on trombone, which was followed by the dismissal and a postlude by St. John’s musicians of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
To cap the event, a dinner, organized by Rev. Branch and Bert Buford, had been prepared and was waiting for congregants in the St. John’s parish hall. The Rev. Branch, assisted by Jamie DeBruhl and Bonita Hernandez, served three different types of pulled pork barbecue with bread and different sides.
