Bethany Wesleyan Church hosted its second annual Christmas Candlelight Service at Lehighton Upper Park on Sunday night for an event to be remembered.

After an encouraging response to last year’s service, BWC thought it would be extra special to hold the gathering in the heart of the city with the backdrop of this year’s trees and decorations in the Upper Park.

Bethany Wesleyan sponsored the event and provided hot cocoa and handwarmers for the community. Electronic candlesticks were also provided by BWC halfway through the service to be held in the air as the Lehighton Area High School Choir sang songs; one of the most popular being “Silent Night.”

“We approached the choir director, Jessica Schafer, early in the fall to see if the choir could join us in providing some special music,” Casey Spencer, campus pastor at BWC, said. “Our church staff and volunteers were honored to share this experience with the city of Lehighton and are grateful to the borough for their assistance and use of the park and bandshell.”

At the beginning of the night, the choir was properly introduced to the community, and it was announced that the service would contain readings from the Jesus Storybook Bible along with songs sung by both the school and church’s choir.

Pastor Spencer asked everyone to take a moment to rise and welcome a neighbor to the event.

With packets with the songs to sing along, handwarmers and hot cocoa, the community was ready to enjoy a wonderful night with the city of Lehighton.

Throughout the night, people commented on the beautiful setting and several of those in attendance thanked Spencer and the rest of the church for hosting the service.

Of all the feedback he received, one of the most popular comments was about the music from both the choir and the BWC worship team.

“We had 335 people to share the evening with. It was incredible,” Nick Liggit, a member of BWC’s congregation, said.

Another churchgoer named Woody Frey commented that it was an honor to share the service with the community and added that it was his favorite service of the year.

After the event at the Lehighton Park and Bandshell ended around 6 p.m., a neighboring church, Bethany Evangelical Congregational, opened their doors for a reception. They served coffee, hot cocoa and a spread of different types of homemade Christmas cookies.

According to Spencer, more than 50 people went to the reception afterward. He reported that it was a great experience and a wonderful opportunity to get to meet new people.

Half of the money donated on Sunday night will be given to the choral program and the other half will support the Tim Tebow Foundation’s Night to Shine that will be held at BWC’s Cherryville campus this February.

Night to Shine is dedicated to those with special needs with a center around God’s love. Those in attendance will be able to walk the red carpet and enjoy a night of pampering and dancing. It will be held on Feb. 7, and more information is available on BWC’s website.