HAGERSTOWN, MD - Each stained glass window at Saint John's Episcopal displays a message.
"That's the way we first started out by telling stories," says Deanna Soulis, St. John's Episcopal. "Some of them are very reminiscent of stories I knew as a child."
This church was built in the late 1800s and is just one of 16 churches sharing their rich history with a self-guided tour.
"There are docents at each church and those docents are there to give some architectural interpretation of the church on the inside and the outside," says Bruce Massey, St. John's Episcopal.
"Most churches last year had some kind of music and whether it was singing, playing the organ, piano. I think one church actually did bells," says Soulis.
Churches will open their doors at 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday. You can pick up a brochure with more information at each participating church.
"That brochure will describe a little bit about each one of the churches, the location of the churches, places to park. It's self-guided in that you can start out at anyone of the churches and then go to any other church that you want to see on your own," says Massey.
The tour will end with a special selection of Christmas carols at Trinity Lutheran Church.
"It'd be a positive statement in people's coming downtown and seeing there are definitely, really are beautiful buildings and we do have some things to offer in downtown Hagerstown," says Soulis.
Last year, one church counted, more than 375 guests walked themselves through the streets for the tour.
The following locations will be open to the public and decorated for the holidays:
Asbury United Methodist
Bridge of Life Church
Christ Lutheran Evangelical
Christ's Reformed
Hagerstown Church of Brethren
John Wesley United Methodist
Otterbein United Methodist
Saint John's Episcopal
Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran
Saint Mark's Lutheran
Saint Mary Catholic Church
Saint Matthew's United Methodist
The Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown
Trinity Lutheran
Washington Square United Methodist
Zion Reformed United Church of Christ
"That's the way we first started out by telling stories," says Deanna Soulis, St. John's Episcopal. "Some of them are very reminiscent of stories I knew as a child."
This church was built in the late 1800s and is just one of 16 churches sharing their rich history with a self-guided tour.
"There are docents at each church and those docents are there to give some architectural interpretation of the church on the inside and the outside," says Bruce Massey, St. John's Episcopal.
"Most churches last year had some kind of music and whether it was singing, playing the organ, piano. I think one church actually did bells," says Soulis.
Churches will open their doors at 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. Thursday. You can pick up a brochure with more information at each participating church.
"That brochure will describe a little bit about each one of the churches, the location of the churches, places to park. It's self-guided in that you can start out at anyone of the churches and then go to any other church that you want to see on your own," says Massey.
The tour will end with a special selection of Christmas carols at Trinity Lutheran Church.
"It'd be a positive statement in people's coming downtown and seeing there are definitely, really are beautiful buildings and we do have some things to offer in downtown Hagerstown," says Soulis.
Last year, one church counted, more than 375 guests walked themselves through the streets for the tour.
The following locations will be open to the public and decorated for the holidays:
Asbury United Methodist
Bridge of Life Church
Christ Lutheran Evangelical
Christ's Reformed
Hagerstown Church of Brethren
John Wesley United Methodist
Otterbein United Methodist
Saint John's Episcopal
Saint John's Evangelical Lutheran
Saint Mark's Lutheran
Saint Mary Catholic Church
Saint Matthew's United Methodist
The Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown
Trinity Lutheran
Washington Square United Methodist
Zion Reformed United Church of Christ
