You are warmly invited to the greatest story ever told here at your Parish Church All Saints’, Child’s Hill
28th March to the 5th April 2026

Palm Sunday

Sunday 29th April 2026

Jesus arrives in Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The crowds made a carpet for him of coats and palm branches. Palm branches are waved as they shout, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ A great king arrives at his own city, which is to be, paradoxically, the place of his suffering and death.

8.00am Said Eucharist

9.50am Sung Eucharist starts at Harpenmead Point

We start the Sung Eucharist outside, where we distribute palms folded into crosses which are blessed and then we hear the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before processing to Church. Shouts of welcome turn to cries of ‘crucify’ as the Passion  is read. So we draw near to the time when this great and amazing God of ours loves us into salvation.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

30th, 31st March and 1st April 2026

We wait quietly with Jesus as we contemplate all that is to happen during the coming week. Holy Week is the most important week for Christians and so we have a Eucharist daily:

Monday 7.00pm Said Eucharist

Tuesday 7.00pm Said Eucharist

Wednesday 11.00am Said Eucharist followed by lunch

Maundy Thursday

2nd April 2026

Jesus goes with his disciples to the upper room where he assumes the role usually reserved for the lowest servant of the household. Washing the disciples feet Jesus flips on its head the world’s idea of greatest and least, first and last. It is a demonstration of the service and humility he calls us all to offer one another and which is shown again in his greatest act of love and service, as he dies on the Cross of Good Friday. At the supper he shares bread and wine and commands us to do the same in remembrance of him every time we celebrate the Eucharist.

8.00pm Sung Eucharist of the Lord’s 
 Supper with foot washing

At the end of the service the sacrament is removed to the altar of repose, symbolising the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus waits with his disciples as the hour of his passion grows closer. The altar and sanctuary are dramatically stripped of their usual décor, symbolising the desolation of his passion. We keep the Watch with him.

Good Friday

3rd April 2026

This is the day on which we see God’s love for us at its most passionate and in its greatest depth. Today Jesus opens wide his arms on the Cross and draws the whole world to himself. We are invited to share in his love and passion for God’s creation.

10.30am -12noon Good Friday Workshop

All ages engage with the story through the planting of the Easter Garden, and other activities. The event concludes with a short service at 11.15am and is followed by hot cross buns.

12.45pm Stations of the Cross

We walk the Biblical Stations of the Cross

2.00pm Liturgy of the Day

The passion is read dramatically, the cross is processed in and venerated. We pray the reproaches (penitential prayers) and the last of the sacrament from the Altar of Repose is consumed.

Holy Saturday

4th April 2026

This is the day when we wait with Jesus in the cool of his stone tomb. It is a day of preparation, as we prepare the Church, and ourselves for the great festival of his resurrection.

1.00pm Church Cleaning – all welcome!

Easter Sunday

5th April 2026

5.00am Dawn Easter Vigil

We gather in darkness, like the apostles, rereading from the Old Testament the story of God’s steadfast love for creation in response to our human frailty. As the Sun prepares to rise we go outside to kindle a new fire, a sign of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, from which the Paschal (Easter) Candle is lit and brought into Church and Jesus’ risen glory proclaimed in the ‘Exsultet’. We then make a great noise in celebration of the news of Christ’s resurrection and come together for the first Eucharist of Easter. The service is followed by a fizz and bacon butty breakfast.

8.00am Simple Said BCP Holy Communion

10.00am Festival Eucharist

We continue to bask in the risen glory of Jesus and share in the joyful message of his resurrection. Nothing will ever be the same again. Through the resurrection of Jesus, earth and heaven are wedded together and his decisive victory over sin and death on the Cross is confirmed. The service is followed by Easter Egg Roll and Easter Egg Hunt for younger members of the community. (bring a decorated hardboiled egg – prizes for best decorated and longest roll).