A traditional “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols” will be held on Saturday at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Salem. The festival consists of nine readings from scripture which represent the broad arc of the biblical narrative, culminating in the birth of Jesus. The lessons are interspersed with appropriately selected hymns or carols.
The service is sponsored by St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Vernon, St. John’s Episcopal/Redeemer Lutheran Church in Centralia, and Effingham Episcopal Fellowship in Effingham. Reverend Matthew Kemp of Centralia will preside at the service, and local musicians Barb Roberts and Doug Tucker will play the organ.
The service begins at 3:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. A light reception will follow in the church basement.
