WINONA – The Christmas season in Winona doesn’t officially start until the annual “Lessons and Carols” service at Immanuel Church.
This year, the service will be held Tuesday, Dec. 2, beginning at 6 p.m. Immanuel Church is located on the corner of Summit Street & Fairground Street.
The service is derived from the Festival of Lessons and Carols, an Episcopal tradition. However, at Immanuel Church, the service is enjoyed by every denomination Traditional Christmas carols are sung, and the reading of brief passages of scripture related to the birth of Jesus are read by local ministers.
This year, Rev. Philip McRae of Blackmonton Presbyterian Church and Shongalo Presbyterian Church in Vaiden will lead the service. Readers will be: Mr. Chris McRae, Area Advisor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Mr. Marvin Edwards with Sacred Heart Catholic Church of Winona, Rev. Janie Mortimer with Holcomb United Methodist Church and Sparta United Methodist Church, Rev. Andy Coburn with First Presbyterian Church in Winona, Rev. Neville Vanderburg with Moore Memorial Methodist Church in Winona, and Rev. Dale Sorgen with Kilmichael Baptist Church.
A community choir will sing, with special performances. If you are interested in singing in the community choir, please come join us. Call if you have any questions about singing.
Lanelle Houston will be the organist, and Janis Kilgore will be the pianist.
The Winona Garden Club will decorate Immanuel Church for the Lessons and Carols service.
For more than 80 years ago, Immanuel Episcopal Church served the Episcopal community of Winona, however, when the Mississippi Diocese closed the church in 1991 due to a dwindling membership, a group of citizens took the initiative to save the historic church.
Today, Immanuel Church is truly a community church, holding inter-denominational services the second Sunday of each month at 9 a.m. Friends of Immanuel is a group of local citizens who provide time and financial support to the operation of the church. The Winona Immanuel Church is on the National Registry of Historic Places and has been designated a Mississippi Landmark.
Pastors from churches around the community volunteer to perform the community service each month. The early service time of 9 a.m. does not conflict with most other church activities around the community. Services only last 30 minutes.
According to the church’s official history, the first Immanuel Episcopal Church was a wood-framed structure built in 1876 on the south side of Summit Street, between Academy and Church Streets.
In 1909, Captain James C. Purnell and his wife, Elizabeth, constructed the existing brick church on the corner of Summit and Fairground Street "as their gift to the congregation." The church was consecrated by the bishop of the Mississippi Diocese of the Episcopal Church on May 29, 1910.
The chancel window of the 1876 church, depicting the ascension of Jesus into heaven, can be seen in the south wall of Immanuel. The window, according to a late 1970s or early 1980s written history of the church, was made in Memphis, TN, in 1976 by a stained-glass artisan.
The church bell, which is still rung before every service, is also original to the 1876 church.
The chancel window in of the 1909 church, depicts the birth of Jesus, and was given in memory of Major and Mrs. Frank Hawkins, the parents of Mrs. James C. Purnell.
After the Diocese closed the doors to the church, a group of citizens, who became the Friends of Immanuel, created the Community Worship Service, and worship continued on a monthly basis until it was announced the church would be sold in 1997.
The cost to purchase the church was $54,000, and the Friends of Immanuel began efforts to raise the funds needed to purchase the building, with donations coming in from the local community and former members of the church.
In 1999, Immanuel Church was designated as Mississippi Landmark, and in 2005, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With its historic designation, the church has been awarded several grants to maintain the historic church, including repairs to the church's slate roof, new plaster and paint inside, new carpet, the installation of central heat and air, and the preservation of the stained glass windows.
For more information about Immanuel Church or to make a donation, contact John Wayne and Christye VanHorn at 662-229-3864. For information on scheduling a wedding or special event, contact Bob and Carole Graves at 662-283-1827.
