NCC Christmas Eve Special at NYC's St Paul and St Andrew UMC on CBS

["Philip Jenks" <pjenks@ncccusa.org>]

>A National Council of Churches Christmas Eve:
>'A Christmas for Everyone' special on CBS

New York, December 17, 2010 -- A National Council of Churches 
Christmas Eve  special, A Christmas for Everyone, will be broadcast 
from New York's St. P aul and St. Andrew United Methodist Church on 
December 24 at 11:35 p.m. (Ea stern and Pacific time) on most CBS 
television stations.

The service of lessons and carols, produced by the National Council 
of Chur ches in cooperation with the Interfaith Broadcasting 
Commission (IBC), will  feature scripture readings and carols. Bishop 
Jeremiah Park, the bishop fo r the United Methodist-New York Area, 
and members of the church's diverse c ongregation will read scripture 
and holiday selections.

Carols will be sung by children and the congregation, as well as by 
the St.  Paul and St. Andrew's choir accompanied by harp and strings. 
 Music Direct or Dr. Frank Glass will conduct the choir.  Tony Award 
winner Victoria Clar k, an active member of the church, will offer a 
solo rendition of "O Holy N ight."

The 175-year-old Methodist church is known for its openness to the 
wider co mmunity of faiths whenever they have a service or when 
others need their he lp.  The church houses and provides vital social 
programs, including an eme rgency food program, a shelter for 
homeless women and a tutoring program fo r neighborhood children.

The special broadcast will open with the church's pastor, Rev. K. 
Karpen, b riefly describing how the church reaches out to the 
homeless, the poor and  the marginalized, as well as to the Jewish 
and Muslim communities.

Rev. Karpen along with Rabbi Rolando Matalon (Congregation B'nai 
Jeshurun)  and Imam Talib-Rashid (Mosque of the Islamic Brotherhood) 
will speak about  opportunities for people of different faiths to 
come together in peace and  love during the holiday season.

A Christmas for Everyone also expounds upon the Christmas story and 
examine s how it can have meaning for everyone in the 21st century.

Wesley M. "Pat" Pattillo, NCC Associate General Secretary, Justice, 
Advocac y and Communication, represents the NCC on the Interfaith 
Broadcasting Comm ission. Shirley Whipple Struchen is the NCC's 
Coordinator of Electronic Med ia Programming. John P. Blessington is 
Executive Producer for CBS.  
    
Broadcast times may vary and viewers should check with their local 
CBS stat ions.

Other holiday broadcasts by the NCC and the Interfaith Broadcasting 
Commiss ion this year are:

A service of lessons and carols from New York's Trinity Church on ABC 
Chris tmas Eve, and

Christmas Angels, slated to air on NBC on Christmas Day.   
                 
Additional information about the broadcasts and a complete list of 
stations  carrying the programs can be found at 
www.interfaithbroadcasting.com.

Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of 
Christ  in the USA has been the leading force for ecumenical 
cooperation among Chri stians in the United States. The NCC's 37 
member faith groups -- from a wid e spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, 
Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African  American and Living Peace 
churches -- include 45 million persons in more t han 100,000 local 
congregations in communities across the nation.

NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 
646-853-4212 ( cell), pjenks@ncccusa.org