There were robes of many colors worn by choir members who crowded onto the stage at Zion UCC Church in Lehighton, Sunday night.

Nearly 90 singers representing 26 churches took part in the church's annual ecumenical Christmas cantata.Churches participating were from throughout Carbon County as well as Stroudsburg, Cherryville, and Allentown.The nondenominational Zion Opera Workshop, headquartered at Zion UCC, also was part of the choir.An estimated 200 people attended the program.This year's presentation was "On This Very Night," created by Karla Worley and arranged and orchestrated by Lori Goss.The cantata, which tells the story of the birth of Jesus, was conducted by Bradley R. Cressley, music director of Zion UCC.The narrators were Dan "Deacon" Evans and Judy Harris.The cantata featured a mix of contemporary Christmas songs and familiar carols."Who Would Imagine a King" featured a duet from mother and son team Patricia and Craig Peters.Shannon L. Wentz-Frycklund and Christmas time soloist Jessica Schafer and the junior choir sang "Go Tell (with Go Tell it on the Mountain)."The Christmas story was told through readings.Prayers were offered by Zion UCC's interim pastor, the Rev. William A. Ellsworth II.Laura Cressley presided at Zion's grand Austin pipe organ and was featured in a vocal solo for the evening's anthem titled "Hope is Born Again."Accompanying the singers and narrators was the Zion Festival Orchestra, made up of instrumentalists from throughout northeastern Pennsylvania.The orchestra also entertained with additional Christmas music, including "Christmas Rocks at the Pops," "Holiday Mashup," and "Silent Night."Churches included:Christ Evangelical Free Church, Crossroads Community Church, First Presbyterian Church, SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Trinity Lutheran Church, and Zion United Church of Christ, all of Lehighton;St. Matthew's Lutheran Church of Weissport; St. John's Lutheran Church of Mahoning Township; Christ United Church of Christ, Immaculate Conception Church, St. John's East, St. Joseph's Catholic Church, and St. Mark's Church, all of Jim Thorpe; Emmanuel

U.C.C. and Faith Alive

U.M.C. of Bowmanstown; First

U.C.C., St. John's

U.C.C., and Sacred Heart Catholic Church, all of Palmerton; St. John's Lutheran Church of Towamensing; Hope of Christ Presbyterian Church of Summit Hill; St. Katharine Drexel of Lansford; Bethany Wesleyan Church of Cherryville; Calvary Christian Church of Stroudsburg; New Apostolic Church of Allentown and Metropolitan Community Church of the Lehigh Valley.