Annual Christmas Lovefeast

A lovefeast is a service dedicated to agape, or Christian love, considered the greatest of virtues.  A lovefeast seeks to remove social barriers and encourage reverence and respect for the legitimate rights of all people.

The Lovefeast at Wake Forest

The Lovefeast and candlelight service occurs on the first Sunday in December in Wait Chapel. It is sponsored by the University and celebrates one of the unique traditions of the Moravian community in Winston‑Salem.  Moravian student Jane Sherrill Stroupe ’67 organized the first Wake Forest  Lovefeast in December 1965.  200 students gathered to celebrate the traditional meal.  Since then, the Wake Forest Lovefeast has grown to be the largest Moravian-style lovefeast in North America, and one of the favorite features of Wake Forest tradition.  The Wake Forest Lovefeast consists of a sweetened bun and creamed coffee.  It is served to the participants by dieners (German for servers).  During the meal, music is offered by the Wake Forest Concert Choir, Handbell Choir, Flute Choir and the Messiah Moravian Church Band.  During the service of song and scripture reading, handmade beeswax candles decorated with red paper frill are distributed to each worshiper.  The candles are lit while the worship space is darkened except for a large illuminated Moravian Advent Star for the singing of the final hymns.

For more information and to register as a volunteer, visit lovefeast.wfu.edu.