St Faith's Holy Week and Easter 2009

Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday, it is the custom at St Faiths Church in Walsworth, Hitchin to process out of the church and around the building so that part of the service is conducted outside. This procession includes walking along the pavement next to Woolgrove Road where there is also bus stop. This year we managed to time it (accidentally of course) so that procession and a bus approached the stop at the same time. Imagine the look on the driver's face, as from her perspective all she could see was a fully robed choir, headed by someone holding a large cross and about 100 members of the congregation, apparently waiting for a bus. It was a joy to behold.

Good Friday Walk of Witness

We met at 9.30 for a family service, leaving the church at 10am to head for the Bancroft Gardens in Hitchin, where we would be meeting up with congregations from churches of all denominations across the town.

Philip Turner, Chair of Churches Together in Hitchin and Methodist Minister at St Faiths, led a prayer at the Bancroft Gardens. Afterwards, we walked with thousands of Christians from congregations across the town to the Market Place for a service led by Hitchin ministers and the Covenant Praise Church Music Group: an important act of witness on a significant day in the Christian year.

Easter Vigil

The flames from brazier burn bright as the vigil takes place inside the church

Easter Day

The cross (made from our Christmas Tree) which had looked so bleak and poignant on Good Friday now stood in the church adorned with flowers, which the congregation had brought to church to celebrate this most joyful day in the Church’s calendar.

“He is Risen He is Risen Indeed”.

This sentiment was shown in the joyful singing of the choir. A ‘Jubilate’ at the start of the service with choir members strategically placed around the congregation, ‘The Heaven’s are Telling’ from Haydn’s Oratorio the Creation sung during the service, with Rose, Hamish and Philip singing the Angel parts beautifully in the trio section, and finally at the end of the service a piece in Latin by a composer of a earlier century, ‘Alleluia’ with the choir complimented by a baroque sounding organ.

From the enthusiastic singing of the hymns, to the excited children hunting for Easter Eggs in the side rooms during the service, to the wonderful flowers which seemed to cover every available surface and windowsill in our building and the Sunday School Pictures on the wall: all went to provide an occasion where everyone present could truly celebrate our belief in the Risen Christ.