One church congregation is getting a special Christmas gift this
year – Christmas Day with their families uninterrupted by church
services.

The congregation at Grace Lutheran Church agreed not to have
services on Christmas morning this year so they can spend time with
their families.

The Rev. Eddie Scheler, pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, said
the congregation had not had services on Christmas for 60 years
before the previous pastor. He said he knew for a decade or so
before the previous pastor, from about 1975 on, the congregation
was very adamant about not having services on Christmas Day.

Scheler did say that the church will have two services on
Christmas Eve. He said there will be 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. services
Saturday with Communion at the 11 p.m. service. He said the 11 p.m.
service will be concluded at midnight, and following each service
will be a “Happy Birthday, Jesus” party and some other festivities
to go along with the services.

“They celebrate the birth that night and can be with their
families on Christmas Day,” Scheler said. “We wanted families to be
together that day.”

“From a pastor’s family’s point of view…it’s a blessing to be .
. . with my family Christmas morning,” Scheler said. “It’s an extra
blessing for my girls . . . on Christmas morning.”

Scheler said the odd thing about it is that Christmas actually
falls on Sunday this year. He said the last time Christmas happened
to fall on a Sunday was in 1994.

“The congregation did the same thing then,” Scheler said.

Another church will be doing the same sort of thing so families
in the congregation can spend time together.

The Rev. Aaron Moore, pastor of the First Wesleyan Church, said
his congregation is holding an open Communion time from 9 a.m. to
noon on Christmas Day so people “can come and go any time they
want.” Moore said there is also a Christmas Eve service along with
the open Communion.

“This way they don’t feel guilty for missing church on Sunday,”
Moore said. “Christmas is on Sunday this year, and that makes it
kind of interesting for all of us.”

One church is reducing the number of services it holds for
Christmas.

The Rev. Bill Raymond, pastor of the Faith Baptist Church on
Seaward Avenue, said his church will be holding only one service at
11 a.m. Sunday, instead of the three services they normally hold on
Sundays.

“We’re only having one at 11 a.m., which will be a family
Christmas worship service,” Raymond said. “That’s what we’re
doing.”

Most of the other churches in Bradford seem to be continuing
with normal Christmas services on Sunday. For those wishing to
attend a Christmas service, there are plenty of churches holding
services in the area, including many others not mentioned in this
article.

For Roman Catholics, Christmas Sunday is a Holy Day of
obligation so naturally, Catholic churches will be celebrating Mass
on Christmas Day. St. Francis Catholic Church will have Mass at
3:45 p.m. and midnight Christmas Eve and at 7:15 a.m. Christmas
Day.

The Rev. Leo Gallina, pastor at St. Bernard Catholic Church,
said Masses on Sunday will be at 8 and 10 a.m. They will also be
having services at 5:15 p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve.

“That’s fine; that’s great,” Gallina said about Grace Lutheran
Church’s decision not to have Christmas Day services. “It’s just
one of those things, but we will be holding them.”

The Rev. Dennis Swineford, pastor at the First United Methodist
Church in Bradford, said that church will also be open and having
services on Christmas Day at 10 a.m. They will also be holding
services at 4, 7:30 and 11 p.m. Christmas Eve.

“I think that’s the prerogative of their congregation, and it’s
really not my place to comment on that,” Swineford said about Grace
Lutheran Church’s decision.

The Rev. W. LeRoy Beckes, pastor of the First Presbyterian
Church in Bradford said his congregation will be having service at
11 a.m. Sunday.

The Rev. Brad Preston, pastor of Sawyer Evangelical Church, said
they are having two services on Christmas Day.

“We’re just having services like we always do,” Preston said.
“The choir will sing, just like normal. The opportunity is there,
and the people are free to participate.”

“There are different ways of approaching the holidays, but
that’s what we’re doing,” Preston said. “I don’t really have a
comment about other churches.”

First Baptist Church will be holding services at 7 p.m.
Christmas Eve and at 11 a.m. Christmas Day and Bradford Baptist
Church will be holding Christmas Day service at 11 a.m.

Church of the Ascension in Bradford will be holding services at
10:30 p.m. Christmas Eve and 10:15 a.m. Christmas Day.

Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Lewis Run will have Mass at 6
p.m. and midnight on Christmas Eve and at 9 a.m. Christmas Day.
Evans Memorial United Methodist Church in Lewis Run will be holding
a Christmas Eve candlelight service at 7 p.m. and a Christmas Day
service from 10 to 11 a.m.

A representative at Hill Memorial United Methodist Church said
there will be regular services at 8:30 and 11 a.m.

John Kijowski, who does publicity for Emanuel Lutheran Church,
said they are having their regularly scheduled services on
Christmas Day at 10:30 a.m. and Christmas Eve at 7:30 p.m. He was
surprised to hear that other churches were not holding regular
services on Christmas Day.

The Rev. Bill Watson, pastor at Foursquare Gospel Church, said
there will be a service at 7 a.m. Christmas morning instead of at
the usual time.

“Well, I mean that’s what Christmas is all about – the worship
of the Lord,” Watson said in reply to hearing other churches were
not holding services Christmas Day. “I think it should have a place
in the day. It’s the Lord’s day anyway – Sunday. I just don’t know
why you’d do anything different.”