Downtown Murfreesboro has been beautifully transformed with sparkling lights and colorfully decorated shops for the month-long holiday celebration. This year the festivities will culminate with a New Year’s Eve Night Watch Celebration, featuring the 21-piece Music City Swing Band along with powerful praise and prayer for 2015 by the Blue Chip Band from Celebrate Recovery. In its sixth year, Night Watch has become the safe-happening event to start the New Year fresh.
The event will be held in the Commons Room at the First Presbyterian Church (Murfreesboro’s oldest church) in downtown Murfreesboro on the corner of College and Spring Streets from 7–10 p.m., Dec. 31. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. As participants fearlessly approach the New Year with anticipation, the theme for this year’s Night Watch celebration is “Let Your Dreams Come True!”
A praise and worship concert from 7–8 p.m. will include familiar selections performed by some of the best musicians and singers in our county by the Blue Chip Band from Celebrate Recovery. Then, from 8–10 p.m., the warm, spirited sounds of the Music City Swing Band will help everyone dance and swing their way into 2015.
Additionally, the evening will be highlighted with prayers for 2015 by community leaders, ending with the ringing of the downtown chimes and church bells with a “Virtual New Year’s” at 10 p.m.
A city-wide Community Service Fair featuring local service agencies will be a part of the event. Organizers will also be announcing this year’s Community Service Award recipient during the evening, celebrating the work of an individual noted for his or her outstanding contributions to improving life circumstances and offering substantive help, hope and encouragement to persons in need.
The 2015 Night Watch Celebration is also a fundraiser for the Bradley Academy Projects; admission to Night Watch is free, but a love offering will be collected.
Those attending are also encouraged to bring canned and non-perishable food items, blankets, coats, hats and gloves for Greenhouse Ministries; leftover Christmas cookies to share (get rid of them in time for your New Year’s diet resolution!); and flashlights, bells, tambourines or any other cheerful acoustic noisemakers.
In ancient times the watchman played an important role in the city. The watchman carefully alerted the city when good ambassadors were approaching so that the gates could be opened and they could enter. Also, the watchman warned the city in advance of an enemy’s approach. They alerted, summoned and forewarned the people of the city so that they could arm and protect themselves.
On another New Year’s long ago, from Dec. 30, 1862 until Jan. 2, 1863—the time of the Battle of Stones River—many loyal watchmen sentinels were positioned on the roof of the courthouse and were assigned to protect and alert the city population from the advancing Union army. In that incident, the First Presbyterian Church was burned to the ground during the Union occupation. The charred remains of the church bell were recovered and installed in the new church. That bell still exists and will ring in 2015 along with other downtown church bells and the courthouse bell, as area families pray for God’s will and vision for Rutherford County in 2015.
For more information or to volunteer, call (615) 893-2369 or (615) 243-1225 or visit facebook.com/communitycrossroadstn.
