Wake Forest to hold 2019 Lovefeast services

Wake Forest University will hold its annual Lovefeast services in Wait Chapel on Sunday, Dec. 8, at 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Lovefeast celebrates the unique traditions of the Moravian community in Winston-Salem.

The first service is expected to last about an hour. Instead of a sermon, the Christmas story will be told. The traditional evening service is expected to last an hour and 15 minutes. A Candle Tea, sponsored by Bethania Moravian Church, will be held in the Green Room in Reynolda Hall in between the two services, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Winston-Salem Girls Chorus and Carolers and Celebration Singers of Home Moravian Church will perform during the earlier service, and the Wake Forest University Choir will perform at the evening service.

Both services are free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

Lovefeast is a service dedicated to Christian love that seeks to remove social barriers while encouraging reverence and respect for the legitimate rights of all people. Luminaries will line Hearn Plaza and Christmas decorations will adorn the chapel.

Both services will be streamed live here.

Moravian student Jane Sherrill Stroupe (’67) organized the first Wake Forest Lovefeast in December 1965. Two hundred students gathered to celebrate the traditional meal of a sweetened bun and creamed coffee.

Since then, the Wake Forest Lovefeast has become one of the biggest Moravian-style lovefeasts in North America and one of the University’s most cherished traditions for more than 50 years.

Media are invited to attend. University Chaplain Timothy Auman is available for interviews before each service.