Easter Service, 4th April 2010

Photos by Claire Chabeaux

On Easter Sunday 2010 the usual first -Sunday - of - the - month communion service was moved to the earlier time of 9am in order to make room for our special Easter service. The usual Sunday School clubs (Lighthouse, Lasers) were  cancelled so that both children and adults could join in a special Easter Sunday service.

Everyone had been asked to bring a single spring flower to the service - you'll see why later. Outside the church, the congregation was greeted by an "easter garden" depicting Christ's tomb with the entrance stone rolled away, covered with lovely flowers to symbolise new life. Inside the church was beautifully decorated with daffodils and other spring flowers everywhere. The austere 10 foot high lenten cross stood at the front of the church.

The service was  taken by Dr. Tom Greggs and featured the kind of passionate, energetic and thought provoking sermon we have come to expect from him. Near the start of the service, we all brought the single flowers we'd brought up to the front of the church and they were used to decorate the lenten cross. Suddenly the looming, austere cross was transformed into a lovely, joyous symbol of new life. It was quite moving.

A bit later, we were asked "what's the other thing we associate with Easter these days?",  "Chocolate!" came the reply. And with that the children were invited to an Easter egg hunt around the altar and lecterns right then and there in the middle of the service! Of course they all tackled the job with gusto, finding full sized Easter eggs that had been hidden there all along. One lucky boy ended up with three of them! What's more, they were allowed to eat their easter eggs as the service went on (with their parent's permission of course).

After the service, the decorated cross was put up at the gates of the church for all to admire, while the rest of the congregation got together for the usual post - service chat over tea and biscuits.

What a lovely service. Many thanks to all those whose hard work made it the success it was.