Church Services

Easter isn't just about gorging on chocolate, for Christians there's a religious aspect too. A time of celebration, Easter is the time when Christians believe that Jesus died and rose again. To celebrate, a church service followed by a slap-up lunch surrounded by friends and family is traditional. You can drop into almost any London church on Easter Sunday for quiet contemplation and raise-the-roof hymn singing... we've highlighted just a few below.

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 praise, music (All Souls' famous orchestra accompanies the congregation about once a month) and biblical teaching. Being a part of this vibrant community at Easter time is sure to be an uplifting experience as Rector Hugh Palmer and Rico Tice, All Souls' resident evangelist, talk about hope in the Christian faith.

Services as follows:

Friday 10th April (Good Friday)
10am - All Age Service
12noon - Meditation Service

Sunday 12th April (Easter Sunday)
9.30am & 11.30am - Communion Service 'Easter Truths' - Hugh Palmer
6.30pm - Evening Service 'The Last Word' - Rico Tice

All Souls Langham Place - Information

Southwark Cathedral

Montague Close, London, SE1 9DA
While you won't get in for the Easter Sunday service at the oldest Gothic building in London (it's being broadcast live by the BBC), Southwark Cathedral is running many additional services over the Easter period. A hidden gem of a cathedral on the south bank of the Thames by London Bridge, 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 and on Good Friday there's the Procession of Witness which this year begins at Crossway URC on the New Kent Road at the Elephant and Castle and ends with a short service at St Alphege's Church, Lancaster Street, SE1. The walk begins at 11am, stopping at a number of places along the way for readings from the account of the Passion and concludes at 12 noon. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week at 6.30pm supper is served in the Cathedral's Lancelot's Link after Choral Evensong at 5.30pm and before the beginning of the 7.30pm Holy Week Lecture. These informal teachings take place in the Garry Weston library with Jeremy Akerman from Central St Martins and the V & A's Matilda Pye leading the discussion. After the meditative vigil on Maundy Thursday the celebrations begin on Holy Saturday (11th April) with the lighting of a new fire, bell-ringing and music.

Services as follows:

Friday 10th April (Good Friday)
11am - Procession of Witness (starts at Crossway URC Church, Elephant and Castle)
12noon - Liturgy of the Three Hours
4pm - Evening Prayer

Saturday 11th April (Holy Saturday)
9am - Morning Prayer and Litany
4pm - Evening Prayer
8pm - Easter Vigil with the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation

Sunday 12th April (Easter Day) - FULL
9am - Doors open for 10am Choral Eucharist
3pm - Choral Evensong
6.30pm - Service of Light

Southwark Cathedral - Information

St Clement Danes

Central Church of the RAF, Strand, WC2R 1DH
For a child-friendly atmosphere in the heart of London, head along to St Clement Danes where the famous Oranges and Lemons service takes place before Easter on 19th March at 11.30am. The classic English nursery rhyme - "'Oranges and lemons', say the bells of St Clement's" - could be said to be based on this church on the Strand and its bells indeed ring out the tune daily at 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 6pm. St Clement Eastcheap also lay claim to being the church featured in the rhyme but don't let a mere technicality get in the way of enjoying the tradition. The rhyme rings out on the church bells, the oldest of which is the Sanctus Bell which was cast in 1588 by Robert Mot, founder of the Whitechapel Foundry. A church has stood on this prominent spot beside the Royal Courts of Justice, on an island in the middle of the Strand, for over 1,000 years. The 'Danes' in the title may well refer to its 9th century construction by the many Danish who lived in England at the time and who dedicated the church to St Clement, patron saint of mariners. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, the church escaped damage in the Great Fire of 1666 but was rebuilt by Christopher Wren in 1681. Not so lucky during the Blitz, it was all but destroyed in 1941 and restored in 1958 as the central church of the Royal Air Force. The Easter services, led by the resident chaplin Adrian Gatrill with uplifting accompaniment from the excellent church choir, take place at 11am on both Good Friday and Easter Day.

Services as follows:

Thursday 19th March 11.30am - Oranges and Lemons Service

Friday 10th April (Good Friday) 11am

Sunday 12th April (Easter Day) 11am - Eucharist

St Clement Danes - Information

St Mark's Battersea Rise

Battersea Rise, London, 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 glass-fronted hall on prominent on Battersea Rise gives it a wonderful base from which to run Alpha, marriage courses and debt counselling, to name but a few ministries. In the run up to Easter there are evening and some matinee performances of 'Godspell', a musical based on Matthew's Gospel. On Easter Day, the church family comes together for 'A Passion for Life - Mark part III' following the arrest, execution and the rising again of the Lord.

Musical & Service as follows:

Wednesday 8th to Saturday 11th April 7.30pm (plus matinee performance on Thursday 9th April at 2.30pm) - Godspell

Sunday 12th April (Easter Day) 10.30am - 'A Passion for Life - Mark part III'

St Mark's - Information

St Paul's Cathedral

St 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. Walk over the Millennium Bridge on Easter Sunday with the majestic cathedral façade before you and you'll be in for something of a spiritual experience before you even step inside. The building is a wonderfully historic site. 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. Images of the famous dome framed by smoke became a powerful symbol of hope in a dark time. This poignant story of survival and a lesson in leaving the past behind while 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 these significant themes.

Services as follows:

Sunday 5th April (Palm Sunday) 11am - Sung Eucharist with procession and distribution of the palms.

Monday 6th April 6pm - Violin Sonato No 2 by Bach. Biblical Songs by Dvorak & Four Hymns by Vaughan Williams.

Tuesday 7th April 6pm - Viol Fantasias by Purcell.

Wednesday 8th April 6pm - Le Chemin de la Croix by Dupre.

Thursday 9th April (Maundy Thursday) 5pm - The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday with Sung Eucharist, the Washing of the Feet and the Watch of the Passion. Foot washing followed by vigil until midnight recalling the Last Supper and events leading up to the betrayal and arrest of Jesus.

Friday 10th April (Good Friday)
10am - Mattins and Litany in Procession
12noon - Three Hour Devotion (there are various points when the congregation may arrive and leave).

Saturday 11th April (Holy Saturday)
4.45pm - Moot and the Rhythm of Life Commitment Service
7pm - The Easter Liturgy with Baptism and Confirmation and the renewal of baptism vows.

Sunday 12th April (Easter Day)
5.45am - Dawn Eucharist
8am - Holy Communion
10.15am - Choral Mattins
11.30am - Sung Eucharist
3.15pm - Festal Evensong
6pm - Eucharist with Hymns

St Paul's Cathedral - Information

Westminster Abbey

20 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. Enjoy a special recital on Tuesday in Easter Week (14th April) when the choir of Westminster Abbey is joined by St James's Baroque orchestra for a BBC Radio 3 recording of Handel's Messiah at the Abbey, part of their Composers of the Year programme. The choice of composer is an appropriate one given that Handel is buried in Poets' Corner in the south transept of the Abbey.

Services as follows:

Thursday 9th April (Maundy Thursday)
5pm - Sung Eucharist with the Washing of the Feet
7pm - Handel Messiah concert (Tickets £10-£50)

Friday 10th April (Good Friday)
12noon - The Three Hour Devotion
3pm - Solemn Liturgy of the Passion and Death of Our Lord

Saturday 11th April (Holy Saturday)
3pm - Evensong
8pm - Vigil, Baptism and First Eucharist of Easter

Sunday 12th April (Easter Day)
10.30am - Sung Eucharist
3pm - Evensong and Procession
5.45pm - Organ Recital
6.30pm - Evening Service, said with hymns

Current events at Westminster Abbey

History And Eternity: Signs Of Transcendence: The Beyond In The Ordinary: Talk event Thursday 23rd February
TIMES Thursday 23rd February 2012 - 6.15pm-7.30pm PRICING Free
Vernon White discusses the meaning of eternity and the hope of heaven.... More about this event

History And Eternity: Images Of Resurrection: Time, Space And Bodies In Eternity: Talk event Thursday 1st March
TIMES Thursday 1st March 2012 - 6.15pm-7.30pm PRICING Free
Vernon White discusses the belief of life beyond death.... More about this event

History And Eternity: Transforming The Present: Future Hope In The Here And Now event Thursday 8th March
TIMES Thursday 8th March 2012 - 6.15pm-7.30pm PRICING Free
Vernon White discusses how we can affect the future.... More about this event

All events at Westminster Abbey