Great article by Michelle Paine and great photograph by the very patient Leigh Winburn in today’s Mercury.
THE church, at its best, is among the people, says Anglican Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower.
With that principle in mind, St Mark’s at Bellerive decided to get involved by holding an Easter Sunday AFL Fun Day.
The church is just around the corner from Bellerive Oval, so tomorrow thousands of footy-goers will have the chance to practise some handball, enjoy hot-cross buns or chocolate eggs or even let their children ride a donkey decked out in North Melbourne or Greater Western Sydney colours.
“When we heard there was going to be an AFL match on Easter Sunday, we thought that’s a great opportunity, 15,000 people walking past the church. We wanted to join in the spirit of the day,” said Rector Stephen Carnaby.
“Children and families will be walking past, they can do donkey rides, we’ll have hot-cross buns.
“For us, Easter is a great celebration so we’re wanting other people to join with us at our celebration.”
Bishop Harrower said that while some people had concerns about football being played on Easter Sunday, there was still the opportunity to attend church in the morning.
“The church, at its best, is always a church among the people,” Bishop Harrower said. “The challenge for the churches is to engage proactively with the community.”
The Easter Sunday AFL Fun Day is from 11am to 1pm at St Mark’s Church, on the corner of Clarence and Scott streets in Bellerive.
On offer will be donkey rides, handball games, a jumping castle, face painting, Easter eggs, hot-cross buns and coffee.
Bishop Harrower and donkeys will be at the head of the combined churches’ Awakening Easter march and rally from 2pm at Parliament House lawns.
Article, ‘Church flies its footy colours’ and in yesterday’s Mercury, Easter story needs retelling.
From Bellerive James Veltmeyer speaks of the football outreach, Easter Sunday AFL Fun Day.
My Easter message was also in yesterday’s Mercury(print edition), Our hope, everywhere, always.
