Local congregations revive Christmas Church Walk in downtown Newton

For 18 years congregations and community members walked from church to church to hear lessons and sing the traditional carols of Christmas, all the while enjoying their company, eating cookies and being involved in the sacred spaces of each other’s Sunday services. They called it the Christmas Church Walk.

Over time the tradition dissolved and was no more, but the folks who made it happen three decades ago have now brought it back to the masses to enjoy once more, and, hopefully, for many more years to come. Rita Baker, of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, helped organize the first event in 1995.

“I’ve always wanted it to be back, but you just can’t do it alone,” Baker said, noting it was started by Bill Ortt, a rector of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church. “One day he just thought, ‘Wow! There are eight churches within walking distance in three blocks.’ He thought we should do something around Christmas.”

Something to give the community a sense of the real meaning of Christmas, Baker added. The joke back then (which still applies today, really) was: If you want it done, get Rita to do it. Ortt put together the lessons and the carols, and it went over well with the community for quite some time. Now it’s back.

The Christmas Church Walk begins 3 p.m. Dec. 14 starting at First Lutheran Church. Participants will then go to Congregational United Church of Christ, First Christian Church Disciples, First United Methodist Church, United Presbyterian Church, First Presbyterian Church and, lastly, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

Fellowship and refreshments will be enjoyed at St. Stephen’s when the walk, lessons and carols have all concluded.

Judy Monroe, of First Lutheran Church, has helped organize this year’s renewed Christmas Church Walk. She hopes congregations — and even families who are not members of the downtown churches — enjoy the different sanctuaries and services. For her, the older churches have a very different atmosphere.

“We want people to come and experience that,” Monroe said.

From the impressive altars and beautiful stained glass windows to the historical architecture, the churches in downtown Newton are brimming with character. Baker said the walk also harkens back to the true meaning of Christmas; the kind of thing that Linus talks about in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

“The concept was to give people a chance to stop shopping, stop running, stop decorating and just pause and hear the story and sing the familiar carols,” Baker said. “We welcome anybody. They don’t even have to be churched. I mean, that’s the whole point.”

Every church will recite the traditional lessons read during Advent leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. The classic Christmas carols like “Joy to the World” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” and “O Come All Ye Faithful” accompany the lessons at each stop, ending with “Silent Night.”

Pastor Kurt Hoover of First Lutheran Church said the Christmas carols are rich with heritage. He is looking forward to the walk. Oftentimes churchgoers and even those in the clergy get “so attached” to their sacred spaces. The Christmas Church Walk exposes everyone to other sacred spaces.

“We see our neighbors and our friends in this procession,” Hoover said. “This is their space. It’s important for them to celebrate Christmas.”

Baker added, “The doors of every church should be open to all.”

“Yes,” Hoover said. “It’s a great co-mingling of the congregations and neighbors and friends … And I enjoy seeing the other sanctuaries!”