Churches join carnival of worship for Palm Sunday (From Times Series)

Churches join carnival of worship in Edgware for Palm Sunday celebrations

5:20pm Tuesday 30th March 2010 in Edgware & Mill Hill By Kevin Bradford

A WAVE of worshippers swept through Edgware on Sunday as part of the community's Easter celebrations.

Edgware Churches organised the Palm Sunday Walk of Witness through the town centre and congregation members from the surrounding parish were joined by other faiths along the route.

More than 450 people were led down Station Road by a donkey to mark the Biblical account of Jesus entering Jerusalem at what is traditionally the start of Holy Week.

The celebrations featured singing, praise and banners, and culminated with a service in the Broadwalk Centre car park later that afternoon.

Reverend Michael Clark, Edgware team rector, said: “It was a tremendous atmosphere, like a carnival.

“We want to reach out to the community in a different way. People were gobsmacked to see so many people bringing the high street to a standstill.”

The walkers were joined by 100 Indians who added their cultural traditions to the parade, and Rvd Clark said: “Most don't know how active the Church is in Edgware. There were so many different denominations which helps challenge peoples' perceptions.

“Seeing the shear diversity of ethnic backgrounds all together praising the same Lord is a very powerful statement of the universal appeal of the gospel of Christ.”

A walk in silent remembrance will also take place in Burnt Oak this Good Friday, setting off from the Annunciation Church, in Thirleby Road, at 10am and finishing at the International Gospel Churuch, in Watling Avenue.