On the darkest day of the year, a Renton church will offer those low on Christmas spirit some hope.

It’s called A Blue Christmas service and it takes place at Bryn Mawr United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“We’re reaching out to people who would like a service that would address their despair or difficulty, while giving them a sense of Jesus’ hope to the world,” said Pastor Nancy Yount.

That despair could be in the form of a job loss, an illness, economics, divorce, family drama or seasonal depression.

According to the web site Health Central, 4 to 9 percent of people have Seasonal Affective Disorder, with almost 20 percent of people experiencing some symptoms. It is a type of depression that typically starts in the fall and continues through the winter months, sapping energy and presenting a gloomy mood.

Yount said those suffers along with regular folks would definitely fit at the service which seeks to uplift everyone. It isn’t a new idea. The pastor said that churches in Renton and elsewhere have been putting on “Longest Night” or “Blue Christmas” services on the day of winter solstice for many years.

The service entails a short sermon and scripture reading, carols, but not the “peppy” ones and the lighting of candles.

The candle lighting is for people to remember someone that they have lost, or ask for healing over something, whatever people want to pray about, Yount said.

“And it ends with all of us holding a candle in our place, so everbody’s got their own candle, singing “Silent Night” together.

The church will serve soup before the service at 6 p.m. and cookies and coffee afterward, but attendance at the either the pre-service meal or after-service dessert is not mandatory.

Bryn Mawr United Methodist Church is at 8016 116th Ave. S. on West Hill.