Christmas Morning Service Includes Blessing of Toys

This time of year, churches add services to accommodate the large numbers of worshippers who seek religious experiences, even though they might not attend church regularly throughout the year.

Worship planners also go the extra mile to make many of the services family friendly, as evidenced by today's Christmas morning service at Glen Mar United Methodist Church.

Young worshippers are encouraged to bring a newly received toy to the 10:30 a.m. service that will include a blessing of the toys.

Atendees are also asked to bring small bells to the service to participate in the making of joyful noise.

"The idea of play is as important to who we are in Christ as the more serious elements," the Rev. Barbara Julian, Glen Mar's minister of operations, said Saturday."It's important to recognize the role of fun in our lives.

On a normal Sunday, about 700 people worship across three services at the New Cut Road church, according to Julian.

To accommodate the extra interest at Christmastime, Glen Mar holds five services on Christmas Eve. Two are family-oriented and feature many children's groups. Three communion services are held into the evening each year.

This year, Glen Mar also added a Christmas Eve eve service, which was attended by about 200 people on Friday, Julian said.

"We expect to see about 2,000 people today," she said of Christmas Eve services.

In past years, to ensure a good distribution of people to all of the offered services, free tickets were issued for each.

This year, church leaders decided to forego the tickets and are hoping that worshippers will even themselves out, Julian said.

"We're prepared for overflow if we need it," she said. "We have room for about 500 upstairs and another 120 downstairs; that's a good many people."

If needed, the service will be shown in the overflow area via a video simulcast.

"It will be the same service, it just won't be in the sanctuary," Julian said.

The Rev. Dr. Bill Brown, senior pastor at Wesley Freedom United Methodist Church in Sykesville, said his church also sees a dramatic increase in the number of guests that come to services on Christmas.

On a typical Sunday, the church averages 525 attendees. At its Christmas services in 2010, the Sykesville church had more than 2,100 guests and is preparing for even more this year.

“I would like to think we see an increase because by this time people are done with their crowded and hectic schedules and realize Christmas isn't found under the tree,” said Brown. “People want to discover and experience the true meaning of this holy season.”

Wesley Freedom, which offers three Sunday services on a regular basis, offers six Christmas services – five on Christmas Eve in addition to a family Christmas morning service.

Brown says there shouldn't be any shame in attending services once a year.

“I am filled with joy when people come to worship at any time of the year. We try to treat all who attend as guests and do not stigmatize them,” he said.