LOCUSTDALE - A Service of Remembrance will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Grace Evangelical Independent Church on Main Street.
The Revs. Raymond Orloski and Richard Hazzard will preside at the service, sponsored by Mount Carmel Area Ecumenical Ministerium.
The ministerium sent a press release on the event, shared below:
"The holidays are seen as a joyous time of the year. Images of gaily dressed adults singing 'Silent Night' at the candlelight service and wonder-eyed children on Christmas morning are part of the scene we relive in our minds. The music we hear speaks of having a 'holy jolly Christmas,' or paints the picture of the tender birth scene of our Lord, surrounded by shepherds and kings, angels and creatures, all basking in the warm glow of an amazing star, the Bethlehem star, shining bright in the heavens.
"For many people, however, the approaching holidays are not a joyous time. As families gather together, in the midst of all the celebrations, the pain of a lost friend, a lost family member or perhaps a lost family is felt even more sharply. Other losses, those of relationships, health or jobs, press upon our minds. For many people, the Christmas season is the most depressing time of year. Through their tears and sadness, they can't see the bright twinkling lights, hear the joyous carols or say 'Merry Christmas.'
"As the nights get ever longer, and the darkness grows around us, there is a real battle being waged in many people's lives and in our communities - against unemployment, depression and loss, against violence and despair. All of the colored lights, Christmas cookies and holiday feasts cannot overcome this darkness that surrounds us.
"And so, we come together to strengthen each other. On the eve of the longest night of the year we gather, as Christians, to acknowledge that, yes, darkness is present both in the world and in our own lives. But as true children of God, we know that as we come together, we will be illumined by the light of the Christ Child.
"Come and join us with your family and friends, so that the light of the Christ Child, born in a lowly stable, himself an outcast, might bring comfort, peace and joy into your lives this holiday season."