First United Methodist, Grapeland Hosts A Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols
Houston County Courier -  December 2009

GRAPELAND - A Ceremony of Nine Lessons and Carols, sponsored by First Christian Memorial, will be presented at First United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Grapeland, beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening, Dec. 18. 
The Service is free of charge and open to the public. 
The Service was first presented in Grapeland in 2006, and has found a temporary home at FUMC while the sanctuary of the First Christian Church is being renovated.
This historic service consists of Scripture readings, special music and congregational carol singing. 
The main theme is the development of the loving purposes of God, from the creation to the incarnation through the windows and words of the Bible: the scriptures, not the carols are the backbone of the service.  The music is a response to the words.
The first occasion for the Service was in 1880 in Truro, England.  In 1918, the Dean of Kings’ College, Cambridge University, in England adapted the service for use on Christmas Eve in the King’s College Chapel. 
The Service has been performed annually at King’s since that time, and broadcast on BBC radio every year except 1930. 
It is now regularly available on radio and television in the United States, usually on Christmas Eve.
Special music will be provided by Sheryl Allen, piano; Perry Frank, trombone; Chance Coppedge, violin; Maxine Moore, soprano; Nicole Bonvillian, soprano; Chuck Allen, baritone; and The Houston County Chorale.