Evening star., 1937-12-23
CHURCHES READY
FOR HOLIDAY RITES
Three Days Of Religious Oh
servance Of Nativity
Are Planned.

Candlelight and midnight services
in many Washington churches tomor-
row night will usher in three days OF
religious observance OF Christmas.
Many churches will hold special
morning services Saturday and IL
o'clock services Saturday and Sunday,
most Of them with special music.
The annual union service of the
washington Federation of Churches
will be held at ii o'clock Christmas
morning in the Covenant-First Pres
byterian Church. Eighteenth and N
streets NV For many years, the
President and his family have at
tended these services, and President
Roosevelt has been invited this year.
Participating Clergy.
Participating clergymen will be the
Rev. w. Kenneth Lyons, presiding;
the Rev. Clifford L. Jope, Ninth Street
Discipley Church, invocation; the Rev.
A. j. Mccartney of the host church,
the Old Testament lesson; the Rev.
Horace E. Cromer, president OF the
federation, greetings; the Rev. Frank
Steelman. Calvary Methodist Epis-
copal Church, the New Testament les
son; the Rev. Peter Marshall, New
York Avenue Presbyterian Church,
the sermon, and the Rev. John w.
Rustin. Mount Vernon Place Southern
Methodist Church, the benediction.
The chorus choir of the host church
will provide a program of special
Christmas music. After the service
the new headquarters Of the fedora
ton. l75l N street, will be open to
visitors
The Right Rev James E. Freeman,
sermon at the festival service Of holy
communion in the Great Choir of
Washington Cathedral at IL am.
Christmas Day. There will be special
music by the Cathedral choir OF men
and boys, under direction Of Robert
G. Barrow. Services for the day will
begin with celebration of the holy
communion at 730 and $50 am. in
the Bethlehem Chapel of the Holy
Nativity. Evening prayer will be said
without music at 4 pm Holiday
visitors will be welcome in the Ca
thedral and its crypt chapels at in
tervals on Christmas Day that do not
interfere with the religious services,
it was announced. The curators
office at the west end Of the Cathedral
foundation will be open from 9 am.
to S pm. as a center Of hospitality
and information.
Christmas Light in Troubled
World" will be the subject of a Christ
mas Eve message by the Rev. Oliver
j. Hart tomorrow evening in ST. Johns
Episcopal Church, Sixteenth and H
streets NV There will be a celebra-
ton of the holy communion at ll:45
pm, This will be preceded by the
playing of chorale preludes OF Bach
and Brahms by Arthur Howes, organist
| and choirmaster The communion
service will be sung by male octet.
On Christmas Day, holy communion
will be celebrated at ST. Johns at 8
am. and IL am, with DIR. Hart as
celebrant.
Candlelight Service.
The annual candlelight service of
the Church Of the Reformation will
be held at 10:45 pm. tomorrow. The
Rev. Oscar F. Blackwelder, pastor, will
take as his subject, STARS Of Ex-
pectation." He will be assisted by the
Rev. John Weidley, pastor emeritus.
and the Rev. Ralph w. Loew, assistant
pastor. The chorus choir, directed by
Miss Mary Weidley, will present a
program of Christmas music.
Candlelight services will be held in
the Memorial United Brethren Church,
North Capitol and R streets, at IL
O'Clock tomorrow night, with special
music by the choir, congregational
singing Of carols, and a brief message
by the Rev. Simpson B. Daugherty,
pastor, on THE Quest That Leads to
God"
Special music by the senior choir
will be feature of a midnight service
tomorrow night at TRANSPORTATION
Episcopal Church, 1415 Gallarin street
NV. Christmas services will be held
at 7:30 and IL am. Saturday under
direction Of the Rev. j. j. Queally,
rector Children Of the church will
give . Christmas play at 7:30 pm.
Monday.
An electric organ has been installed
temporarily for special candlelight
services in St. Pauls Lutheran Church,
Connecticut avenue and Everett street
NV, at IL O'Clock tomorrow night,
The Rev. Henry w. Snyder, pastor,
will take as his theme, Songs in the
Night" Lynn Gillchrest will be in
charge Of the music, with Donald T.
Henley at the organ.
Grace Lutheran Festival.
The Rev. Gerhard e. Lenski, pastor
Of Grace Lutheran Church. Sixteenth
and Varnum streets NV, will officiate
At a candlelight service at IL pm.
tomorrow, taking as his theme, Making
Christmas Come True" Special music
will be sung by choir and congregation
under direction of Marion st. John
Aldridge, organist.
Junior and senior schoirs will unite
for candle-light services in st. Mat
thew's Lutheran Church, Kentucky
avenue and Fifteenth streets S,E.at
1880 pm. tomorrow. The Rev
Theodore P. Fricke. pastor. will preach
q festival sermon, There's a Song in
the Air" The Sunday school will
present a pageant, The Kings Birth
day." at the pm. service SATURDAY.
under direction Of Emil Wenzel. At
the II am. service Sunday DR.. Fricke
will take as his text The Magi"
An elaborate program of special
Christmas music has been arranged
under direction of Robert Frederick
Freund for Christmas Eve service
in Metropolitan Memorial Methodist
EYaiSconAl Church Anhro alxn