FARMINGTON — Henderson Memorial Baptist Church and Summit Faith Community invite the community to 110 Academy St. for a Christmas Eve candlelight service at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 24.

Henderson Memorial and Summit Faith churches have been sharing the building for more than a year now and usually worship in separate services, but Christmas Eve is a night for joyous celebration together.

The service will begin at 6, earlier than in past years. Ryan Goding, pastor of Summit Faith Community, and Rev. Susan Crane, pastor of Henderson Memorial Baptist Church, will lead the congregation in a celebration of the birth of the Savior.

The service will consist of readings from scripture telling the story of Jesus’ birth, interspersed with congregational singing of favorite Christmas carols. The choir will sing an anthem that invites the whole congregation to join in on “Silent Night” as individual candles around the sanctuary receive the flame from the candle, signifying that the light has come into the world to transform our darkness into hope, peace, joy and love.

The congregation will break forth into singing “Joy to the World” as the service concludes.

A special offering will be received, to be shared between the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund and the new Western Maine Homeless Outreach shelter. Contributors who wish to specify the receiving charity may write a check to either ECU HEAT or WMHO. Cash and checks payable to either church will be shared equally with both charities.

As of Nov. 30, the Franklin County Ecumenical Heating Fund had approved 90 households for 50-gallon fuel deliveries. That number is expected to double by Christmas. Households all over Franklin County are served by this program, much needed this bitter cold winter.

The new Western Maine Homeless Outreach shelter opened at 547 Wilton Road on Nov. 11 and is currently serving several women and children who were without a place to live. WMHO hopes to be able to expand its capacity by installing a sprinkler system in the sleeping and common rooms used by shelter guests. The shelter is now able to sleep 16, but once the sprinkler system is in place should be able to house up to 30.

WMHO is also hoping to train a new cadre of volunteers to expand services to families in need. Currently, shelter guests must leave for the day and find other things to do. This works for families with children in school and working parents, but parents of infants and toddlers would be grateful for an opportunity to stay at the shelter during the daytime, if there were enough volunteers to oversee it.

All are welcome. For more information, call 778-2163 or visit www.hmbcmaine.org.