Faithful flock to open-air services
Taonga News and NZ Herald
| 28 Feb 2011
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Reaching out in troubled times. Three of the folk who gathered yesterday at St Barnabas, Fendalton, for their open-air service.
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Folk gathered under the trees for the 10am Eucharist service at St Barnabas Fendalton yesterday.
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The peace of God be always with you.
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The Rev Philip Robinson celebrates The Great Thanksgiving outside St Barnabas Fendalton.
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The Rev Philip Robinson, priest assistant at St Barnabas, invites his outdoor congregation to make their communion.
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Rev Philip Robinson distributes the host at St Barnabas.
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Standing on the Solid Rock. Some of the music team at St Barnabas, Fendalton.
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The Rev Mark Chamberlain pronounces the blessing at St Barnabas, Fendalton.
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The vicarage at St Mary's Merivale.
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A shattered bell from St Mary's Merivale. The tower there was badly damaged in the quake, and the bells have been craned down.
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Archbishop David Moxon joined St Mary's Merivale for worship in their parish hall. That's the Rev Rory Redmayne at the lectern.
Thousands gathered in Christchurch yesterday to worship and pay their respects to those killed in last Tuesday's earthquake.
Many services in the city were held in the open because of the large number of churches destroyed or damaged in the 6.3 magnitude quake.
Even where churches appeared to have withstood the quake, some congregations still worshipped in the open air.
At St Barnabas in Fendalton, for example, the congregation met for morning worship on the lawn in front of their church – because the building has yet to be checked and cleared by structural engineers.
A congregation of about 40 people from Christchurch Cathedral, St Luke's and St Michael and All Angels met at St Albans Park, which is outside the CBD and more commonly used at this time of the year to host cricket matches.
The Dean of Christchurch, Peter Beck, who normally preaches to a congregation of about 350 at ChristChurch Cathedral, said the worshippers had gathered by word of mouth – because he had had no internet to get the message out.
On the lawn of Christchurch South Library on Colombo St, hundreds arrived on bicycles and on foot to reflect on the tragic event.
The trees surrounding the lawn provided a buffer to the busy street bustling with emergency services and people walking back and forwards with water containers.
"Quite a few churches around the city do not have clearance and people are nervous about being in an enclosed space anyway so we have decided to meet outside," the Rev Alan Webster, who conducted the Christchurch South Library service, told NZPA.
"This is an open space where people can relax together."
Archbishop David Moxon, who flew down from Hamilton last week, attended both morning services at St Mary's in Merivale, which were held in the hall adjacent to the church.
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