dvaughan@heraldsun.com; 419-6563
The countdown to 2010 begins tonight in the pews of Mount Bright Missionary Baptist Church in Hillsborough. There will be prayer. There will be testimony. There will be singing. At 11:30 p.m., the Rev. Derric Gregory Sr. will begin his sermon. There will be an altar call. The entire church will go. And when the clock strikes midnight, the people inside the church will ring in the new year with prayer.
Watch Night services held on New Year's Eve are a tradition started in the Methodist Church in the 1700s, and carried on by African-American churches today.
Going to church is a wonderful way to start off the new year, said Gregory, who served at First Calvary Baptist Church in Durham before coming to Mount Bright Missionary Baptist this past April. Mount Bright will hold two Watch Night services tonight -- from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring music by Samuel Obie and family; and at 10 p.m., featuring the church mass choir. Gregory will preach on "Faith out of Famine: Repositioned to Win in 2010" at both services.
"To me, Watch Night services put the year in perspective. It's a time to reflect on how you got here. It gives you a chance to think about what you've been through and what God's given you," he said.
Watch Night became a tradition in black churches after New Year's Eve 1862, also known as Freedom's Eve. While not the first Watch Night, it was perhaps the most significant as it was also a countdown to the Emancipation Proclamation going into effect and abolishing slavery in the South on Jan. 1, 1863. Watch Nights were started by Charles Wesley, the founder of Methodism, in the mid-1700s.
"Out of the African -American tradition, it's probably a stronger commitment to having that Watch Night service, because of its significance to us, to keep observing it," Gregory said. During the service he might mention the Freedom's Eve of 1862, just a few years prior to the founding of Mount Bright Missionary Baptist. But recalling the historical moment of freedom from slavery or just looking back on the year 2009, both are about giving thanks to God, he said.
Gregory hopes the church will be full. Watch Night services, he said, bring members and those who are more inclined to come to church on Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day. They come for Watch Night out of tradition, seeking good luck for the new year or because they are looking for answers, he said.
"It's a good time to evangelize. I'll take them as I can get them, as they say," Gregory said. The pastor's prayers for 2010 will be for community health as well as vision for the congregation. He wants to emphasize the "missionary" in Mount Bright Missionary Baptist Church, with more outreach. He'll also pray for a renewed commitment to the Christian purpose of being light in the darkness.
Emmanuel AME Church in Durham will also hold a Watch Night service, at 10:30 p.m. tonight. That service will include testimony and prayer as well as the regular order of a worship service. The guest preacher is the Rev. Jason Thompson, who grew up in Emmanuel AME and served as its pianist. He now serves Mount Bethel/Mitchell Chapel AME in Lenoir and is a member of the music faculty at Appalachian State University in Boone.
The Rev. Shelton T. Miles, pastor of Emmanuel AME, said the Watch Night service is a time of fellowship as well as a historical Methodist and African-American tradition.
As the Watch Night service comes to a close at midnight, the congregation will be gathered around the altar in prayer. Miles will pray that the Lord will bless his people as they move forward into 2010, he said. The pastor will also pray for the nation, the city, the military and for world peace.
"It's an honor and a joy to be in church at the end of the year because it's an opportunity to express to God our gratefulness for being able to see another year," Miles said.
Watch Night services
WHEN: 7 to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight tonight. Pastor Derric Gregory will preach on "Faith out of Famine: Repositioned to Win in 2010." Samuel Obie and family will perform at the 7 p.m. service and the Mount Bright Mass Choir will sing at the 10 p.m. service. 732-4789.
WHERE: Mount Bright Baptist Church, 211 West Orange St., Hillsborough
WHEN: 10:30 p.m. tonight. Guest speaker is Rev. Jason Thompson, pastor of Mt. Bethel/Mitchell Chapel AME in Lenoir. 596-8891.
WHERE: Emmanuel AME Church, 2018 Riddle Road, Durham
