Origins of Watch Night
     Many congregations gather on New Year’s Eve to welcome the New Year through worship and prayer.  Watch Night services provide an opportunity to thank God for past blessings and to ask for his protection and guidance in the year ahead.
     The practice is traced back to Moravian Christians and was later adopted by Methodism founded John Wesley.  Watch Night became important for African-Americans on December 31, 1862, as salves waited for the emancipation Proclamation to take effect the next day.
     A Bible passage tied to Watch Night is Mark 13:32-37, Jesus warns Christians to “keep watch” (or, in some versions, to “keep alert” or “keep awake”) for the end of the world.