Churches gearing up for watchnight services
Published:Friday | December 30, 2022 | 12:25 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
With no COVID-19 restrictions in place, church leaders are expecting a big turnout for their watchnight services on December 31.
Last year, there was a gathering limit of 100 people and a curfew that kicked in at 1 a.m. on New Year’s Day, forcing many churches to have a blend of in-person and online services.
Watchnight service at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Allman Town, Kingston, will begin at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Reverend Newton Dixon told The Gleaner that the general feeling is that people are eager to end the year in church, following the return to full in-person services several months ago.
He said attendance at Sunday morning services has returned to pre-COVID levels, but there are members who still prefer to participate in Bible study online.
“My suspicion is that some people will be out a little later than normal, so we invite our people to come out a little later on Sunday morning, January 1,” the pastor added.
Service will begin 90 minutes after the usual start time and his church will also forego Sunday school as he anticipates that after the watchnight service, many members will head to the Kingston waterfront for the spectacular fireworks display, following a two-year hiatus.
Unlike past watchnight services, Lititz Moravian Church in St Elizabeth has decided to meet at 6 p.m. for a service of praise and thanksgiving.
Reverend Charmane Daley explained that it will give members enough time to go home and prepare for their 11 a.m. worship service on Sunday.
“Even though the service on Saturday will last for about two hours, someone will be at the church at midnight to ring the church bell, ringing in 2023. The turnout at watchnight service is expected to be low, not only because Sunday is the next day, but because the older members are afraid to venture out due to the high crime rate,” Daley said, noting that about 40 people are likely to be in attendance.
However, the pastor said a large turnout of between 150 and 200 worshippers is expected on Sunday.
Gateway Deliverance Centre, which hosts services at Jonathan Grant High School in St Catherine, intends to end its watchnight service at midnight and there are no plans to delay the start of the next morning’s service.
“We will just have a celebratory time to say, ‘Thank You, Lord, for taking us through 2022’, and at 12 o’clock, usually we have a prayer asking for guidance for the new year. I normally give a word as to how I see what we should be doing for the new year, and for me, 2023 represents a time where we should grow in faith,” Pastor Herro ‘Steve’ Blair Jr told The Gleaner.
He said that he is expecting more people to show up at watchnight as he had a full turnout for the Christmas morning service, the largest congregation he saw for the entire year.
The church has a membership of between 130 and 150 and, on average, 100 attend each service.
Meanwhile, Anglican bishop of Kingston, the Reverend Canon Garth Minott, said congregations will begin their meetings at various times with the singing of Christmas carols and then move into a celebration of the old year and prayer for the new one.
“This year will be much different, in the sense that COVID is still here, but the restrictions are, obviously, not in place as they were last year. Far more people will be coming out, but at the same time, we also have to be mindful that within the Jamaican context, crime and violence is an issue and so we will be cautioning our people to be careful as they come out to church and go back home,” Minott said.
He explained that faithful members across Anglican churches will take a nap and come back out to their morning services on Sunday.
“It’s the first Sunday of the new year, so we usually have people visiting from overseas. New Year’s Sunday is an occasion for family reunion, family gathering, so, in fact, what you will find is a super abundance of congregants coming out,” Minott said.