A costly candlelight service for some Ala. churches

(RNS) An Alabama fire chief says churches that want to hold Christmas Eve candlelight services will have to pay four off-duty firefighters $100 each to monitor safety. Pastors of several churches in Homewood, Ala., which is just south of Birmingham, said they did not know the city requires a permit for candlelight or firefighters for […]

(RNS) An Alabama fire chief says churches that want to hold Christmas Eve candlelight services will have to pay four off-duty firefighters $100 each to monitor safety.

Pastors of several churches in Homewood, Ala., which is just south of Birmingham, said they did not know the city requires a permit for candlelight or firefighters for candlelight services.

Homewood Fire Chief John Bresnan said the law has been on the books for more than 10 years and he has required Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, which he attends, to request a permit and have firefighters on hand at candlelight services. Dawson has abided by the law for the past decade, he said.


Edgewood Presbyterian Church, a small church that expects about 200 at its Christmas Eve candlelight service, was recently notified of the permit requirement and told to hire four firefighters, said Pastor Sid Burgess.

“People sit in their pews and sing `Silent Night’ while those candles are being lit,” Burgess said. “We have fire extinguishers at the front and rear.”

The requirement to hire firefighters “does seem like overkill,” Burgess said. “Four hundred dollars is a substantial sum for a small church.”

Pastors of several Homewood megachurches said they have candlelight services but did not know about the law.

“I don’t really see the fire hazard myself,” said the Rev. Martin Muller, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church.

Trinity United Methodist Church Pastor Andrew Wolfe said he’d never heard of a candlelight permit law.


“The church has been doing this hundreds of years,” he said. “I can’t imagine that all of a sudden we’re not able to do a candlelight service.”

All Saints’ Episcopal Church has a traditional Christmas Eve candlelight service. “We pass out votives and sing `Silent Night,”‘ said the Rev. Glenda Curry. “The candles are on a total of a minute and a half.”

Bresnan said the law does not apply when only priests and altar servers light candles. It applies to indoor services that involve handing out candles to all.

“It can be potentially an unsafe situation, with open flames and crowded rooms,” Bresnan said.

State Fire Marshal Ed Paulk said he’s not aware of other cities or counties that place restrictions on candlelight services or require hiring firefighters.

“That’s the first I’ve heard,” Paulk said. “When you have hundreds of people with candles, if one person doesn’t use common sense, it could be a problem.”


Paulk said there are no state regulations on candlelight services, but he advises caution. “Anytime you have fire, there’s potential for a problem.”

Donate to Support Independent Journalism!

Donate Now!