Hundreds experience the special meaning of the holiday at annual candlelight service.
GRAND CANYON, Ariz.—When Hanes Swingle first gazed down at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, he was only eight years old.
He said that at that age, one doesn’t always see or appreciate the wonder and beauty of nature.
There were gifts to buy and souvenirs to bring home.
Beauty was for grown-ups.
“It was so totally different as a kid,” said Swingle, a visitor from Tennessee, remembering those long-ago years through the eyes of an adult.
Now, as he looks out at the Grand Canyon on his third visit, the shadows in the rock formations are different. The colors are different. The feeling is different. He is different.
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“It is just so magnificent, like being in a great cathedral,” Swingle said.
During a service at the Grand Canyon Community Church on Christmas Eve, Swingle, 71, lit a candle to commemorate the meaning of the season, not far from the national landmark.
Pastor Michael Paddy has been the interdenominational church’s resident minister for more than two years. He believes there’s a spiritual power and connection with the land regardless of faith.
For the past 40 years, the church has held a candlelight service