The Celebrate Church in Knoxville was nice and quiet during the day on Wednesday, by design…as volunteers and counselors gathered to give those in need of solitude and assistance during the Christmas season a place to go.
Blue Christmas brought together church members to stand by and give help and a listening ear for those who have difficulty dealing with the season; many people have experienced loss or otherwise have bad memories of Christmases from years ago, and the constant reminders of the season can be painful for them to experience.
Judd Nelson joined others to offer their time to help out those in need at the church; he tells KNIA/KRLS News many people in this position need understanding.
“Our culture just thinks Christmas is supposed to be all fun and full of joy; and we just recognize that Christmas, and the holiday season in particular, is just really painful. So this service is designed to just kind of give people a place to grieve, lament, just come and have permission to be emotional and be sad,” Nelson says.
The main portion of the church was set aside for quiet reflection, and private rooms were made available for those in need of professional counseling. The day concluded with a worship service devoted to the people in need of this type of assistance.
