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An Easter service followed by a slap-up lunch surrounded by friends and family is a wonderful way to celebrate this time of year, when Christians believe that Jesus died and rose again. There are also lovely, atmospheric evening services around town to end the day in peaceful surroundings. So whether it's some time-out to reflect, the glorious sounds of traditional choral music, or a lively family celebration, there's something for everyone from high Anglicans to energetic evangelicals in our guide to Easter in London's churches...
 All Souls Langham Place 2 All Souls Place, W1B 3DA Anyone who’s stood at Oxford Circus wondering which way to turn or trying to meet somebody outside Topshop cannot have failed to notice this striking in-the-round church standing at the northern end of Regent Street. All Souls is the last surviving church built by 19th-century architect John Nash and received some pretty harsh criticism when it opened in 1824. Today, the church fills to the rafters for Sunday services as people escape the hustle and bustle of the West End and come into this place of worship. It also has an active outward focus, ministering to workers, students and young people through a variety of groups and events. Services are a rich mix of warm praise (All Souls’ famous orchestra accompanies the congregation about once a month) and biblical teaching and being a part of this vibrant community at Easter-time is an uplifting experience as Rector Hugh Palmer and Rico Tice, All Souls’ resident evangelist, talk about hope in the Christian faith. Services as follows: Good Friday midday-3pm Service of Meditation (people may arrive and depart on the hour and half-hour) Easter Sunday 8am Communion, 9.30am & 11.30am Communion Service 'Easter Hope', 6.30pm 'From Despair to Hope' Service Venue: All Souls Langham Place Address: 2 All Souls Place, W1B 3DA Phone: 020 7580 3522 Nearest Station: Oxford Circus Tube All Souls Langham Place - Information   Holy Trinity BromptonBrompton Road, SW7 1JA This church has a huge, buzzing congregation, worshipping slap bang in the middle of one of London’s most exclusive postcodes, a stone’s throw from Harrods in Knightsbridge, but wanting to reach out with an infectious spirit to its community and beyond. At Holy Trinity Brompton you’ll find something quite different to solemn liturgy and a sung Eucharist if you drop by on Easter Day – there’ll more than likely be a really rather good band leading the congregation in worship songs, some drama for the family services in the morning and if the vicar’s wearing his dog collar then it’s probably the first time since last Easter! These more informal services, however, are in no way a reflection of a casual approach to the Christian message; HTB (as it is known in church circles) has an evangelical heartbeat, which comes over in the biblical teaching and desire to practise what they preach. The Alpha course, subtitled ‘An Opportunity to Explore the Meaning of Life’, started out here and is still going strong. For the traditionalists among you, HTB’s Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services include some classical choral worship. Services as follows: Maundy Thursday 8pm (including Allegri's 'Miserere' sung by the HTB Chamber Choir) Good Friday midday-3pm (including excerpts from 'Messiah') Easter Day 9.30am & 11.30am Family Service, 5pm & 7pm Informal Communion Service Venue: Holy Trinity Brompton Address: Brompton Road, SW7 1JA Phone: 0845 644 7533 Nearest Station: South Kensington Tube Holy Trinity Brompton - Information  Southwark CathedralMontague Close, SE1 9DA The oldest Gothic building in London, Southwark Cathedral is a hidden gem of a cathedral on the south bank of the Thames by London Bridge – and its many services over the Easter period take us in true Anglican tradition from Passion Sunday (March 9th) all the way through to Easter Sunday two weeks later. Its position just across the river from the city means its mission is to the thriving business community outside its walls but at this time of year worshippers come from all corners to engage with Jesus’ death and resurrection. Holy Week starts on Palm Sunday (March 16th, 10:30) with the congregation carrying palm branches on an outdoor procession to re-enact Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Teaching is on the events leading up to the crucifixion in John’s Gospel but the accounts in the other three Gospels are also explored on the evenings of March 17th to 19th after supper, providing an in-depth look at the way of the cross. The silent candlelit vigil on Maundy Thursday transforms the cathedral into a place of holy meditation before the celebrations begin on Holy Saturday (March 22nd) with the lighting of a new fire, bell-ringing and music. Services as follows: Maundy Thursday 6.30pm The Lord's Supper and Holy Week address followed by Watch of the Passion until midnight. Good Friday midday-3pm Liturgy of the Three Hours, midday Workshop for children, 6.30pm Concert - Faure's 'Requiem', Faure's 'Messe Basse' and 'Lamentations of Jeremiah (Part 1)' performed by Girls' Choir and Lay Clerks of Southwark Cathedral with orchestra. Holy Saturday 8pm Easter Vigil. Easter Day 11am Choral Eucharist, procession and the distribution of Easter eggs, 3pm Choral Evensong, 6.30pm Compline and Eucharistic Devotions. Venue: Southwark Cathedral Address: Montague Close, SE1 9DA Phone: 020 7367 6700 Nearest Station: London Bridge Tube / Rail Southwark Cathedral - Information  St Clement DanesStrand, WC2R 1DH For a child-friendly atmosphere in the heart of London, head along to St Clement Danes' famous Oranges and Lemons service in the run-up to Easter. The first line of the English nursery rhyme is “'Oranges and lemons', say the bells of St Clement’s" and the bells of this church on the Strand have indeed been known to ring out the tune. St Clement Eastcheap must also have some claim to being the church featured in the rhyme but the children don’t seem bothered by mere technicalities – a bit like the Christingle service at Christmas, this is good old-fashioned fun for kids, who can feel part of things as the children of St Clement Danes Primary School do a grand job of communicating the Christian message, well, apart from the bit in the nursery rhyme about chopping off heads! The children are given an orange and a lemon on their way out of church, a tradition dating back to 1920 when the Danish community of the time made a donation of the fruits to celebrate the bells ringing out for the first time since 1913. St Clement Danes was almost destroyed in the Blitz but was restored in 1957 as the central church of the RAF. Services as follows: Thursday March 13th 2008 1.30pm Oranges and Lemons Service Easter Day Eucharist 11am Venue: St Clement Danes Address: Strand, WC2R 1DH Phone: 020 7242 2380 Nearest Station: Temple Tube St Clement Danes - Information  St Helen's BishopsgateGreat St Helen's, EC3A 6AT A big, diverse crowd come to worship at this lively evangelical church in the heart of the City (just head for the Gherkin!) so whether you’re studying, working or living in London – or just visiting – expect a warm welcome and something for everyone. Easter at St Helen's follows a pretty similar format to their usual Sunday services with a more family feel in the mornings and a younger vibe in the evenings at the far more civilised, not-having-been-woken-up-by-kids time of 6pm. The preaching here is straight from the Bible. They also run the Christianity Explored course for a more in-depth look at Jesus and faith. The building itself occupies an historical site; in post-medieval Britain one part was a parish church and the other a nunnery, until it was surrendered to Henry VIII under the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century. IRA bombs exploded in the City in 1992 and 1993 killing three people and causing huge damage to St Helen's in the process. The church is restored and modernised but still retains its ancient grandeur, making this a lovely place to celebrate Easter. Services as follows: March 20th 2008 1pm Easter Guest Service 'The Lost Message of Easter' Good Friday 10.30am Easter Sunday 10.30am (Luke's Gospel) & 6pm (TBC) Venue: St Helen's Church Address: Great St Helen's, EC3A 6AT Phone: 020 7283 2231 Nearest Station: Bank Tube St Helen's Bishopsgate - Information  St Mark's Battersea RiseBattersea Rise, SW11 1EJ If your Easter excursion takes you south of the river then drop by this vibrant church for a family service or a rocking celebration. St Mark's has a real heart for welcoming newcomers and the merry buzz of chatter over coffee (before the 10.30 service) makes for a friendly atmosphere that the vicar has a tough job of subduing when he wants to start the service! Once he has grabbed your attention, however, the experience is a relaxed, fluid and inspiring one with lively, heartfelt worship (and some kids' action songs, if you're lucky) and thought-provoking biblical teaching that aims to deepen people's understanding of God. St Mark's wants to be a shining presence in the community and its prominent location on Battersea Rise with a new, glass-fronted hall gives it a wonderful base from which to run Alpha, marriage courses and debt counselling, to name but a few ministries. There'll be a wonderful community feel as the church family comes together for the All Age Service to praise, pray and hear about 'The Risen Lord', which is then followed by a picnic lunch. A mainly younger crowd can be found at 6.30 on Sundays and Easter is no different. In the evening the band will strike up for some spirited worship as people raise their hands and the roof to celebrate Christ's new life. Services as follows: Good Friday midday-3pm Easter Day 10am Coffee, 10.30am All Age Service - 'The Risen Lord', midday Picnic Lunch, 6.30pm Easter Praise Celebration. Venue: St Mark's Church Address: Battersea Rise, SW11 1EJ Phone: 020 7223 6188 Nearest Station: Clapham Junction Railway Station St Mark's - Information  St Paul's CathedralSt Paul's Churchyard, EC4M 8AD The great dome of St Paul's is one of the most striking features of the City's skyline, standing proud as a beacon of our Christian heritage. The Millennium Bridge now provides an impressive passage over the Thames, leading straight to the steps of the cathedral, and walking this way with the majestic façade before you on Easter Sunday is something of a spiritual experience in itself. The building is also wonderfully historical, adding a sense of occasion to services and concerts here and telling a patriotic and poignant story of survival. Built by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed Old St Paul’s, the new Cathedral miraculously went on to escape major damage during the Blitz in World War Two with images of the famous dome framed by smoke becoming a powerful symbol of hope in a dark time. And this vision of leaving the past behind and looking to new life is what Jesus’ resurrection at Easter is all about; the Holy Week services at St Paul’s provide a traditional and thoughtful way to meditate on this. Services as follows: March 12th 2008 6.30pm 'The Passion According to St John' by Johann Bach. March 16th 2008 (Palm Sunday) 11am 'The Liturgy of the Palms' and Sung Eucharist, 6pm Passiontide Service. March 17th 2008 6.30pm Meditations for Holy Week - Quartet for the End of Time, by Olivier Messiaen. March 18th 2008 6.30pm Seven Last Words From the Cross, by James MacMillan. March 19th 2008 6.30pm 17th-Century Meditations on the Passion. March 20th 2008 (Maundy Thursday) 10.30am Chrism Eucharist, Blessing of Oils and Renewal of Ordinations Vows, 5pm Sung Eucharist. Good Friday 10am Mattins and Litany in Procession, midday The Three Hour Devotion, 5pm The Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday. Holy Saturday 7pm Easter Vigil: Bonfire, Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist. Easter Day 5:45am Dawn Eucharist, 9am Eucharist with Hymns, 10.15am Choral Mattins, 11.30am Sung Eucharist, 15.15pm Festal Evensong, 6pm Eucharist with Hymns. April 13th 2008 6pm Easter Carol Service. Venue: St Paul's Cathedral Address: St Paul's Churchyard, EC4M 8AD Phone: 020 7236 4128 Nearest Station: St Paul's Tube St Paul's Cathedral - Information  Westminster Abbey20 Dean's Yard, SW1P 3PA People have been worshipping on this site for over 1,000 years, dating back to when Benedictine monks arrived circa 960. From these humble beginnings Westminster Abbey has become one of the most famous churches in history, not least because of its awesome architecture, with kings and queens having started and ended their reigns within its majestic walls for centuries. But, even though the Abbey has witnessed its fair share of pomp and ceremony – early examples are King Edward’s burial and William the Conqueror’s coronation – it still retains a tradition of daily worship, counting itself not just as an historic building but as a living church within the Church of England. Stepping inside its grand, cavernous interior may make you feel like you’re entering a place of reverence and the traditional liturgy and sweet singing from the Abbey Choir will wash over you, giving you some peaceful time to reflect this Easter. Services as follows: Maundy Thursday 5pm Sung Eucharist with the Washing of the Feet Good Friday midday The Three Hour Devotion, 3pm Solemn Liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord Holy Saturday 3pm Evensong, 8pm Vigil, Baptism and First Eucharist of Easter Easter Day 3pm Evensong, 5.45pm Organ Recital - 'Ashes to Easter VII: Alleluia!', 6.30pm Evening Service Venue: Westminster Abbey Address: 20 Dean's Yard, SW1P 3PA Phone: 020 7222 5152 Nearest Station: St James's Park Tube Westminster Abbey - Information  Westminster Cathedral42 Francis Street, SW1P 1QW Mark the Easter period with Roman ceremony, incense and exquisite choral music at this Catholic cathedral with its striking neo-Byzantine architecture. From its earliest days, music has been of utmost importance at Westminster Cathedral and the liturgies are still lifted heavenwards by the Choir of Westminster Cathedral, which ranks among the best in the world. The soaring sounds and stunning architecture offer a peaceful place in the middle of the busy city to pray and worship this Easter. The cathedral’s interior was always meant to be completed by future generations but the mosaics have never reached the inside of the distinctive domes, leaving soot-black vaults high above, counteracted by the flickering candlelight below and creating an atmospheric, almost ethereal effect. As one of the most impressive Catholic churches in Britain, Westminster Cathedral is used to welcoming visitors from far and wide to have a look around but the Easter services here are a chance to glimpse a higher reality. Services as follows (*these timings are yet to be confirmed. We advise you to phone in advance for the latest information): Maundy Thursday 6pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper Good Friday 10am Office of Readings, 11am Children’s Stations of the Cross, midday Crucifixion on Victoria Street, 3pm Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, 8pm Prayer at the Foot of the Cross Holy Saturday 10am Office of Readings, 8pm The Easter Vigil Easter Sunday 9am Family Mass, 10am Morning Prayer, 10.30am Solemn Mass, 3.30pm Solemn Vespers and Benediction. Venue: Westminster Cathedral Address: 42 Francis Street, SW1P 1QW Phone: 020 7798 9055 Nearest Station: Victoria Railway Station / Tube Westminster Cathedral - Information |
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