St. George’s Anglican Church is hosting a traditional ‘Festival of IX Lessons and Carols’, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 18th at the historic church, 60 Guelph St., Georgetown.

The Festival of IX Lessons and Carols, long popular with the residents of Georgetown, will combine alternating readings of biblical scripture and congregational singing of seasonal carols. The Parish Choir, the St. George’s Singing Angel Children’s Choir, the Men’s Chorus and the newly-formed Contemporary Choir will also perform several anthems under the direction of Musical Director Ron Greidanus. “This year’s presentation will be very musically dynamic,” says Greidanus, “we’ve arranged for accompaniment on harpsichord, tympani, trumpet and violin.” “We’ve also incorporated these instruments for our Christmas Eve services – each service will feature a different choir.”

Reverend Rob Park, Rector of St. George’s, says, “We love to open our doors during the Christmas season and invite everyone to participate in our traditional celebrations to mark the birth of Christ”. “In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, sometimes truly celebrating the birth of a baby born two thousand years ago gets lots in the shuffle,” he continued. “This year at St. George’s we have prepared what we hope will be an uplifting and meaningful worship program for the Christmas season.” St. George’s has instituted a new contemporary worship component at their regular 11:15 a.m. Sunday worship with a Contemporary Choir. This service has seen an increase in attendance as a result.

Christmas Eve Services held December 24th at St. George’s will begin at 5:00 p.m. with a Family Service. The St. George’s Singing Angel Children’s Choir will perform Away in a Manger and a Gaelic song based upon medieval Irish poetry.

At the 7:00 p.m. service, the Parish Choir will sing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and Our Dearest Lord Jesus from the Christmas Oratorio of J.S. Bach, accompanied by organ, harpsichord, timpani, trumpet and violin. Parish member, Bruce Ott is the featured soloist on Trumpets Shall Sound. The Men’s Group will sing Gesu Bambino at the 9:00 p.m. service.

The 11:00 p.m. service provides more reflective worship, accompanied by Gwen Hodgson on harp. On Christmas Day, St. George’s has planned a 10:00 a.m. Family Service with music.

“At all the services, there will be plenty of opportunity for the congregation to sing Christmas carols,” said Reverend Park. “We’re proud of our strong musical tradition here at St. George’s and we invite you to join us in worship as we celebrate God’s most wonderful gift to us.” he concluded.