Thank you to our Vibrant Family Members and their guests who were willing to take a gently used candle and holder. For the first time members of our community were offered a choice of being good stewards of the God’s creation by being willing to re-use candles and holders during the Christmas Eve services.
This re-use/re-cycle endeavor involved some effort on the part of many volunteers. The candles had to be moved at the end of the services at the lakefront, sanctuary, and Mathias Family Life Center in garbage bags and sorted and re-stacked to be ready for the following services.
A few days following Christmas, another volunteer team sorted used candles and holders and determined which could be used next year. Candles and holders were separated for storage. Team members wiped each used holder with alcohol to remove the smoke and some of the wax from the inside of the holders. The SSTs separated the new candles and holders. There are 19 boxes of candles and holders that will be stored for next year’s candlelight services.
A total of 3000 new candles and holders were purchased for the 2018 Christmas eve services. Half of the candles and holders were not used, thus leading us to believe that at least 1000 people took a gently used candle. Next year we hope that more family members will take a previously used candle demonstrating our care of the environment and financial stewardship as well.