Members of three local churches will be raising their voices in ecumenical harmony when they gather for a joint Advent service on Dec. 16 at St. Anne Catholic Church in Discovery Bay.

The choir, comprised of the vocal talents of choirs from Byron United Methodist Church, Delta Presbyterian Church and St. Anne, will perform holiday songs and hymns. The performance is free of charge and open to the public.

"It's a nice community event and a nice way to bring the communities of Byron and Discovery Bay together," said Nancy Torres, Byron United Methodist member and an organizer of the holiday event. "What could be better? We hope people from all over will attend."

Organizers of the event came up with the idea for the multi-denominational Christmas service following a similar program held last year when St. Anne in Discovery Bay opened. "When St. Anne had its dedication last year, we had a mass choir perform and it was so successful we thought, why not try it for Christmas?" said Torres.

"People really seemed to love it, and while we've never really done this kind of thing before, it does seem like a natural thing to do during the holidays."

Aside from the choral performances, the Advent service will include scripture readings and hymns. Refreshments will also be served. The program begins at 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Nancy Torres at 634-3417.