Lincoln Park church calls on Chicagoans to close out 2020 with ‘Silent Night’ singalong

With just a few days left in the chaotic year of 2020, many Chicagoans might feel like letting out a primal scream, but a group of religious leaders are inviting them to pause for a moment on Christmas Eve, take a breath and sing.

The Moody Church is asking people to step outside and sing along to “Silent Night” at 9:09 p.m. Thursday and shine a light “in solidarity” as the city caps an exhausting year defined by a pandemic, civil unrest, economic turmoil and seething political division.

A trio of radio stations will play the popular carol, which was chosen in reference to the so-called Christmas truce of World War I when French, German and British soldiers dropped their arms around the holiday.

Senior Pastor Philip Miller, who leads the nondenominational Christian sect in Lincoln Park, said other churches are joining what’s turned into an ecumenical citywide effort.

“When we slow down, we can start to remember things that really matter,” Miller said. “In that moment when people see their neighbors with a light, as they hear the lyrics, as they pause and let the wonder in — my hope is that we would all remember we have more in common than what divides us.”

As of Wednesday night, about 200 people indicated on Facebook they’d participate in the singalong, and thousands more had shown interest, Miller said.

“Silent Night” will play on 90.1-FM, 105.1-FM and 1160-AM, and stream online at silentnightchicago.com.