Traditional Hanging of the Green Celebrated Dec. 6

November 19, 2008

Oklahoma Baptist University's Hanging of the Green, a long-standing tradition which celebrates the Christmas season and honors 20 outstanding seniors, will be a service of lessons and carols and will feature a still-life crèche scene.

OBU's 71st annual Hanging of the Green ceremony will be Saturday, Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Raley Chapel's Potter Auditorium. The service is free and open to the public.


This year's ceremony will consist of a lessons-and-carols service which began at King's College, Cambridge, in 1918. It symbolizes the bond between the academic community and the city, the peace within the whole church, and the joy and worship of all Christians.

"The theme revolves around the loving purposes of God revealed through the words of the Bible and the musical offerings," said Dr. Mark McQuade, OBU assistant professor of music. "The Hanging of the Green ceremony offers something for everyone, and it promises to be a beautiful evening."

In the traditional Cambridge service, the lessons were read by members of the academic community, progressing from a young chorister to the Bishop. In that spirit, the lessons in this year's ceremony will be read by members of the OBU academic community, beginning with the student body president, D.H. Dilbeck, a junior from Edmond, Okla., and concluding with a faculty member who joined OBU in 1974, Dr. Bill Hagan, professor of English. Several other faculty members will contribute to the readings.

The service will feature musical selections presented by the OBU/Shawnee Community Orchestra, University Chorale, Bison Glee Club, Bisonette Glee Club, Cantare Cappella, and the Young Singers of Central Oklahoma. New OBU voice faculty members, Dr. Louima Lilite and Dr. Jennifer McQuade, OBU assistant professors of music, will be featured soloists with the orchestra.

Traditionally, 20 outstanding students are nominated and selected by the faculty as honorees for the evening. These students are seen to embody the OBU ideals and represent a wide variety of majors, disciplines and hometowns.

This year's honorees include: Ryann Aaron, an accounting major from Hutchinson, Kan.; Derrik Anderson, a mathematics major from Shawnee; Jayme Boyer, an English education major from Shawnee; Seth Brown, a psychology and pre-counseling major from Tonkawa, Okla.; Christopher Canary, a biblical languages major from Newcastle, Okla.; Bonnie Cassidy, a biology major from El Reno, Okla.; Lane Compton, a philosophy major from Gurnee, Ill.; Sarah Ann Corley, a finance and marketing major from Oklahoma City; Aaron James Foshee, a bachelor of music/vocal performance major from Jones, Okla.; Jessica Hill, an English major from Colorado Springs, Colo.; and Jonathan Hilton, a business management major from Buhler, Kan.

Also honored will be: Andrew Hoyt, an applied ministries/pastoral emphasis major from Sand Springs, Okla.; Laura Ingram, a music education/vocal emphasis major from Lenexa, Kan.; Brandon Loeser, a biology major from Burlington, Okla.; Natalie Pedersen, an interdisciplinary major from Boelus, Neb.; Whitney Ritchie, a cross-cultural ministry major from Pryor, Okla.; Bethany Simmons, an elementary education major from Grapevine, Texas; Sarah Underwood, a biblical languages major from Edmond, Okla.; Rachel Dee Wambolt, a pre-physical therapy major from Amarillo, Texas; and Kyle Welborn, a mathematics major from Meeker, Okla.


OBU's first Hanging of the Green ceremony was celebrated in WMU Memorial Dormitory. After the singing of carols, representatives from all dormitories lit candles of good will and carried the light to their own buildings.


The custom of the Hanging of the Green has continued through the years. It moved in 1945 to the newly completed Brittain Hall, in 1957 to the University Auditorium, and in 1961 to Raley Chapel.


For more information, contact the OBU Division of Music at (405) 878-2305 or <?echo encode_email("music@okbu.edu")?>.