Singleton United Methodist Church at Schley has 96 angels on display this year, a number that has risen steadily over the past two decades since the program began.

In November 2002, the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran an article titled “There Really are Angels all Around,” by Roberta Lindsey. It was about an outside Christmas display at Woodlake United Methodist Church and Salisbury Presbyterian, of Chesterfield County. The display featured white wooden angels holding a candle and a gold heart bearing a message.

Singleton’s organist, Peggy Crittenden, read the article and took it to Pastor Les Goode to see if this was something the church might want to consider for Singleton. Bob Welker and Lester Sterling were asked to check it out and report back.

After a trip and a meeting with the Woodlake angel project coordinator, an energetic young man by the name of Jim Smith, Lester and Bob reported to the United Methodist Men that an outside display of Angels was indeed feasible and des...