Photos: Church rings in Christmas season with decades-long tradition of Moravian Love Feast

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey, Dec. 2, 2019 / First Christian Church has hosted Moravian Love Feasts for 41 years after a couple brought the tradition to the church from North Carolina. The couple has since moved away, church members said, but the tradition continues. Staff photo by Wyatt Massey, Dec. 2, 2019 / First Christian Church has hosted Moravian Love Feasts for 41 years after a couple brought the tradition to the church from North Carolina. The couple has since moved away, church members said, but the tradition continues.

By Wyatt Massey December 2, 2019 1 min read

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Moravian Love Feast

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey, Dec. 2, 2019 / Tricia Dyer, chair of the worship committee at First Christian Church, said the Moravian Love Feast gathers people who are not regular church-goers and is a good way to kick off the Advent season. "The service is for the community," Dyer said. "We do it for the community."

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Delores Kenyon lights candles during the Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019. The feast required 16 volunteers to serve food and light candles.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / The candles lit during the Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019, represent Jesus as a light to the world, said the Rev. Brandon Gilvin, senior pastor.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Sally D. Hunt passes out candles during the Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019. From the food to the songs to the candles, everything used during the service was symbolic.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Accompanied by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trombone Choir, members of the First Christian Church choir perform "The Conventry Carol" during the Moravian Love Feast on Dec. 2, 2019.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Along with the traditional Moravian rolls made with orange peel, servers at the church passed out decaffeinated coffee during the love feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Ashlee Hubbard-Heitz passes out candles to members of the congregation during the Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019. The candles were lit to symbolize the light of Jesus and the coming Christmas holiday.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / The Rev. Brandon Gilvin, senior pastor at First Christian Church, leads the congregation in prayer during the Moravian Love Feast on Dec. 2, 2019. The annual event is a chance to break social barriers and invite people from the community into the church to celebrate the holidays, Gilvin said.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Love feasts include serving simple foods for the congregation to enjoy together. At First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019, the feast included decaffeinated coffee and Moravian rolls made at Bread and Butter in Red Bank. The church ordered around 200 rolls, said Tricia Dyer, who helped organize the event.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trombone Choir performed songs on their own and accompanied the First Christian Church choir during the Moravian Love Feast on Dec. 2, 2019.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Songs played by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trombone Choir included

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / The Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019, included traditional Christmas songs like "O Come, All Ye Faithful" and "Silent Night" along with the traditional food.

Staff photo by Wyatt Massey / Scott Weathers plays the trombone during the Moravian Love Feast at First Christian Church on Dec. 2, 2019. Weathers was part of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trombone Choir that performed during the evening service.

On Sunday, First Christian Church in Chattanooga hosted the 41st annual Moravian Love Feast to celebrate the coming Christmas holiday. The love feast comes from a long tradition in the Christian church of meaningful community meals meant to reflect the practice of early Christians. The Moravian Church, a Germany-based Protestant denomination, held its first feast in Germany in 1727.

At the Chattanooga event, coffee and Moravian buns were served and the University of Tennessee Knoxville Trombone Choir performed several Christmas-themed tunes. The feast is a way to remove social barriers in the community and gather people around a shared celebration, said the Rev. Brandon Gilvin, senior minister at First Christian Church.