In the excitement and anticipation surrounding Christmas preparations, it is hard to find a time and place where it is safe to let longing and loss settle.
A ‘Christmas Calm’ service is just such a setting.
This evening service will be held at Centreville Presbyterian Church on Thursday, December 12, beginning at 7:00 pm. All who are missing a loved one this season, or seeking an hour of calm amid the frenzy all around, are welcome to come and relax in the quiet of this place. Join with friends and neighbours to hear words of comfort and encouragement, acknowledge absence, listen to the Story of the Nativity told from a fresh viewpoint, and enjoy some inspirational and seasonal music.
This community service is being offered by the Millbrook Cavan and Bailieboro Springville United Churches that make up Harmony Pastoral Charge, and is being led by the Rev. Cathy Underhill, along with congregation member the Rev. Iain Buchanan and Lenore Finlay who will provide musical accompaniment.
“We come to Christmas Calm for many reasons,” explains Rev. Cathy, “to remember the people we love; because Christmas preparation can leave us exhausted and drained; and for many, Christmas can be a lonely time.”
The service will include readings from ‘To Bless the Space between Us’ by Irish poet and spiritual teacher John O’Donohue, who honoured blessings “as a way of life and a source of meaning, beauty, wonder, grace, healing and transformation.”
Centreville Presbyterian Church is located on County Road 28 at Zion Line, just south of the roundabout. There is ample parking across from the church on Zion Line, and the building is fully accessible.
By Celia Hunter
