The Sanctuary Choir of First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City will present A Festival of Lessons and Carols Sunday, Nov. 30, at 11:15 a.m. The Festival of Lessons and Carols is a format of Christian worship service celebrating the birth of Jesus and traditionally followed at Christmas.

The story of the fall of man, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus are told in short Bible readings, interspersed with the singing of Christmas carols and hymns.

The service is based on the format of the traditional service held each Christmas in the Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, England.

First presented on Christmas Eve in 1918, the festival of Lessons and Carols format was created by Eric Milner-White, whose years as an army chaplain convinced him that the church needed different forms of worship. His original service was adapted from an order drawn up by E.W. Benson (later the Archbishop of Canterbury) who presented a similar service in 1880 in a wooden shed which served as his cathedral in Truro.

Almost immediately, other churches adapted the service for their own use.

The first broadcast of the service from King’s College took place in 1928. It has since been broadcast every year (with the exception of 1930), and there are millions of listeners world wide.

First Presbyterian Church in Peachtree City is at 206 Willowbend Rd. across from the city library.

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