Guitar tune up made difficult in the damp air!

Setting up for worship outdoors on Christmas Eve earned a few odd looks from passers by.

Drum rehearsal for the call to worship

Once the fire was burning, folks began to arrive.

The circle around the fire kept growing until we ran out of chairs! (The bulletins were long gone!)

Members and friends... from 2 months to 93 years.

A bit odd: Three churches within 2 blocks of us, and we're the only ones worshiping this evening.

When the neighbors across the street came home, they "joined" us from their front porch for quite a while.

A perfect evening to stop and think about Christmas from Mary and Joseph's perspective (probably outdoors - certainly not in a well decorated, welcoming space!)

Dialogue sermon: "What would it look like today?" And more importantly: "Why is that important?"

The evening chill begins to set in with a few folks.

Large print bulletins turned out to be a good idea once the sun fully set.

Meditative silence during one prayer

A Mandinka drum chant for our call to worship

Dusk falls as we sing "O Come O Come, Emmanuel"

The underlying question of Christmas and the Incarnation: "Why did God choose to do it this way?"

Thinking through a sermon together - Portico style

A "brand new" song shared with a church in another state - connectional worship with a larger community.

Lighting candles - and most importantly - thinking about why we are lighting them

Silent Night... except for the # 23 bus, or the fire truck from Station # 7, a car or two rushing to get home... which made the song even more poignant.

Glories stream from heaven above... with the backdrop of neon lights from the neighboring church down the street - which is eerily dark this Christmas Eve.

Preparing to go in peace, and go in joy, and savor the moment enough to last another year!