WILSON, N.C. — The Lighting of the Luminaries and the Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols, long-standing traditions for the Barton College community, will usher in the Christmas season on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Residents of Wilson and surrounding communities are invited to join the College community for this festive celebration of events on campus.
The celebration will begin with a candlelight dinner served in the Hamlin Student Center Dining Hall at 5 p.m. Cost for the meal is $6 for adults, $3 for children, and $5 for students not on a Barton meal plan.
At 4 p.m., students will begin lighting more than 2,500 luminaries across 30+ acres of the main campus. At 6 p.m., visitors will gather at the Aileen and Bill Parish Plaza, outside Howard Chapel on center campus, for the blessing and lighting of the Barton Christmas tree. The outdoor program will include brief remarks by Dr. Douglas N. Searcy, president of Barton College, and the Reverend Jamie Eubanks, chaplain of the College, as well as musical selections performed by the Barton College Bartonaires.
Immediately following the blessing and lighting of the tree, participants will move inside Howard Chapel for the annual Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols, featuring the Barton College Choir led by music director Mark Peterson. The Choir will perform various songs of the season. Musical selections will be interspersed with readings of scripture by sophomore Visual Communications and Art & Design major Shannon Casto, with Rev. Eubanks presiding over the chapel program.
There is no charge for the outdoor and chapel events, and the community is invited to attend.
For additional information about the Lighting of the Luminaries program, please contact Chaplain Eubanks at (252) 399-6368. For additional information about the choir program, please contact Mark Peterson at (252) 399-6535.
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