Hospital hosting ‘Longest Night’ worship service  | Local News

CORBIN—Baptist Health Corbin is encouraging community members to come out for a night of fellowship in hopes of helping those who are struggling this holiday season with the loss of a loved one. The “Longest Night” worship service will take place on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Baptist Health Corbin cafeteria.

The event is being hosted by Baptist Health Corbin with ecumenical partners in ministry and other community partners.

Baptist Health Corbin Chaplain Susan Williams said the “Longest Night” is a worship service held traditionally on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year, which falls on December 21.

“The tradition of the event, many different denominations, different faith groups, express it in slightly different ways like we do everything else but the basis of it is just a recognition that God is God in the valleys, in the hard times,” Williams said. “That it is, especially when we’re grieving, when we’re suffering loss, that we can be vulnerable to attacks on our faith. So, it’s a way for the community to recognize the weakness in the community and that we are responsible for each other, to lift each other up and boost each other up.”

Williams said Baptist Health Corbin was hosting this worship event to allow those who have lost family members, especially those lost to COVID-19, an opportunity to come together for a night of worship.

“The recognition here is that we, as a staff, have worked with these families all through the year and this is a way to express our continued solidarity with the people in the community, especially that are grieving a loss,” she said.

Williams said that the event is also an opportunity to lift up those who may not be able to join in the event as they continue to struggle with their grief.

“For so many, it be hard for them to ever step back into the hospital again,” Williams said. “There will always be memories of what room number their loved one died in, the heartache that is associated with this place will stay, so many will not be able to make themselves come, so it’s important that they know that we know they are out there and we’re praying for them and lifting them up.”

The Longest Night event is primarily geared to those families who have lost a loved one while in the care of the hospital but Williams said that the staff of Baptist Health Corbin were also encouraged to participate in the event.

“It’s taken an emotional toll on the staff, as well, and spiritual toll, as well,” Williams said. “Hosting it at the hospital is a way of honoring the commitment that the staff has shown to all of these families over the year and it’s a way to pray for the Lord to heal our spirits and renew our strength, as well.”

Hospital staff have been working on decorating luminaries that will line the hospital hallways on the night of the event in honor of those lost to COVID.

Following the worship service, the cafeteria will be offering refreshments and an opportunity to sit around and fellowship with one another, which Williams hopes will give community members an opportunity to share their stories with others who are experiencing similar grief.

Masks will be required at the event. Williams said if there were to be a spike of COVID cases in the community, the event will be held virtually instead.

Those who cannot join the event in person may join via Zoom at https://bhsi.ZOOM/us/j/5042974414. Updates on the event will be posted to the hospital’s Facebook page.

“My prayer is that people leave feeling encouraged or strengthened and with the knowledge that they are not alone,” Williams said. “One of the things that impresses me about the Bible is that the very first problem that God sees, that he says ‘that will never work, I’ve got to fix this right away,’ has nothing to do with sin, it’s that Adam was alone—we need each other. We need to know that there’s somebody out there that cares about us and that has our back.”