Published on December 5, 2018 by Sarah Cain  
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The annual Hanging of the Green service returned to Reid Chapel Nov. 29 after a one-year hiatus due to chapel renovations. The event, led by the Worship Arts Ensemble, was followed by the Lighting of the Way ceremony along Centennial Walk and around the University Quadrangle.

Hanging of the Green is based on an old English custom. The event consists of hanging garland around Reid Chapel, lighting an Advent wreath, decorating a Christmas tree and listening to Christmas music from the University Chorale and Bells of Buchanan. Former director of campus ministries Ginny Bridges Ireland began the Samford tradition in 1980. It has since morphed into a favorite tradition for many students and faculty. 

Twelve senior honorees led the Hanging of the Green service. These students are nominated by Samford employees and must turn in an application detailing their involvement on campus. The honorees included the following:

  • Kyle Christian Church, an accounting major from Colleyville, Texas
  • Andrew Christopher Freeman, a computer science major from McKinney, Texas
  • Olivia Katherine Halverson, a journalism/mass communication major from Brandon, Mississippi
  • Anna Marie Higginbotham, a communication sciences and disorders major from Murfreesboro, Tennessee
  • Emily Louise London, an English major from Macon, Georgia
  • John Reed McMullan, a finance major from Huntsville, Alabama
  • Brittany Lane Morgan, a sports medicine major from Hunstville, Alabama
  • Anna Davis Parks, a journalism/mass communication major from Nashville, Tennessee
  • Mary Kathryn Parrott, a voice major from Mountain Brook, Alabama
  • Jacob R. Payne, a religion major from Birmingham, Alabama
  • Mary Elizabeth Wagner, a communication sciences and disorders major from Canton, Georgia
  • Peyton Garrett Welch, a Brock Scholar from Slidell, Louisiana

Following the Hanging of the Green, the Lighting of the Way took place on Centennial Walk with Samford First Lady Jeanna Westmoreland’s annual reading of The Christmas Story. View the highlight video here.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.