Edvard Munch, Winter Night c. 1900

What is the Longest Night?

In the northern hemisphere, Christmas comes after the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. All that darkness can be hard for people who live with seasonal affective disorder, depression, grief or loneliness.

The jingle bells and fa la las of Christmas can feel overwhelming. The Longest Night Service is a time to recognize the dark in nature and acknowledge the heartache present in our own lives.

We will hear readings, sing hymns, light candles and find reassurance in a more quiet way than often happens at Christmas. You are invited to join in this service of silence, poetry, scripture and song.

Building Use

Many folks from the congregation are only in the building on Sunday mornings for worship and Sunday School. Increasingly, we are seeing the church building used for other activities throughout the week. It is a gift to be able to share this beautiful space with the larger community.

For the past ten years the church Centro Internacional de Oracion has used the building on Sunday afternoons and Friday evenings. They will wrap up their time at HMC on Dec 31.

This is the first column in the HYMN to keep HMC informed about how the building is being used outside of Sunday morning. 

December 2023

• Wed. Mornings - MCC comforter group from HMC
• Two Sun. Afternoons a Month - the Hyattsville Daisy troop, (including our own Emma Melara)
• Dec. 11 - Hyattsville Aging in Place event
• Dec. 16 - Brian Gorman’s piano student recital
• Dec. 28 - City of Hyattsville Intergenerational Bake-off, (pairing seniors and teens to prepare and bake cookies)