Advent Processional Service begins pre Christmas season

Members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, St. James Episcopal Church, and Bolivar First United Methodist Church came together on Sunday, November 29, for their 15th annual Advent Processional Service, celebrating the start of Advent, a four week time of preparation for the celebration of Christmas.
The service, is a chance for the three congregations to get together to worship, and celebrate the Christmas season. The service begins at St. James with readings from the Bible, and the blessing of the St. James Advent wreath. The congregation then walks to the Methodist Church where the service continues with the blessing of the Methodist Church Advent Wreath, and a special message. Bad weather this year forced the cancelation of the procession portion of the service.
The three congregations have held this service since 2000. The idea came from the Methodist minister at that time, the Rev. Tim Carpenter, who had seen a similar service while he was in Jackson Tn. The other ministers involved in that first service were Father Carl Hood, the Priest at St. Mary’s, and Rev. Edgar Ince, who was the Vicar at St. James.
This year’s service was conducted by Father W.H. Arnold of St. Mary’s, Dr. Barney Gordon of St. James, and Dr. Angela Harris, of Bolivar First United Methodist Church, who also gave this year’s Message.

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