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For many, Christmas is a bittersweet time of year. For people who are dealing with grief, significant life changes, sobriety, family dysfunction and alienation, loneliness, and other challenges, this time of year can be especially difficult.“This is also the time of year with the longest nights,” Pastor Jeff noted, “so on the longest night of the year our congregation offers a special meditative worship service that makes time for remembering, sharing our hurting places with God, and preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ.”
This year, the service will be held in the sanctuary and streamed to a special Zoom meeting, on Saturday, December 21, at 7:30 p.m. Those who want to attend on Zoom need to pre-register at bit.ly/longnite2024.
“Attendees are invited to light candles during the service as a quiet response and act of prayer,” Pastor Jeff explained. He said that he hopes that the service will provide a space for people “to release their anger, face their emptiness, have a good cry (if that’s what they need), and know that God cares.”
He said he hopes that people worshipping at home, watching the live stream, will create a worship space near their computers. “Ideally, people will have a central candle (wax or electric) to light as part of the beginning of the service,” he said. “In addition, I hope they have seven additional candles or seven stones (they don’t have to be big) nearby to gather around that central candle as the service progresses.”
“This is our ‘pre-Christmas’ gift to the community,” he said.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
36600 Niles Blvd, Fremont, CA, United States, California 94536
