THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 28, 1996 TAG: 9603270189
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TRUDY CUTHRELL, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
PALM SUNDAY celebrates the kingship of Jesus Christ. And how can one honor a king? With a parade, of course.
This is what Suffolk's second annual Palm Sunday Procession is all about - worshipers gathering for a processional to celebrate Jesus Christ as King.
This Sunday, the congregations of four local churches - St. Paul's Episcopal, Suffolk Christian, Main Street United Methodist and First Baptist - will join for a procession along North Main St. in downtown Suffolk.
The procession will begin at 10:15 a.m. in front of the First Baptist Church, 237 N. Main St. The celebration will open with the singing of hymns, a prayer, a Scripture reading from Matthew's gospel and the Blessing of Palms. Parishioners bearing worship banners, flags, crosses, handbells and palm branches will add to the festive nature of this event. During the procession, church bells will ring. And a lowly donkey among the crowd will remind participants of that Palm Sunday when Christ rode into Jerusalem upon such a beast.
The Palm Sunday parade will wind along Main St. and go as far as East Washington St., stopping at each of the four churches for a prayer for the specific needs of that congregation. The procession will then return to First Baptist for concluding hymns and prayers. Following the procession, each congregation will return to its respective sanctuary for its 11 a.m. service of praise and worship.
According to the Rev. Todd Estes, Christian education director at First Baptist, last year's parade included more than 300 participants. This year, downtown clergy hope to gather a crowd of more than 500.
According to the Christian Church calendar, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. The Rev. Vance Mann of St. Paul's Episcopal Church explains that the New Testament describes this day as the time when Jesus entered Jerusalem riding upon a donkey. A jubilant crowd gathered to welcome him spreading leafy branches and cloaks on the road and shouting praises proclaiming Jesus as a hero, a king.
Palm Sunday was first observed in Jerusalem in the fourth century when it was the practice to have a procession bearing palm and olive branches from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem. During the procession, Christians sang songs and shouted: ``Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.''
Those original processions probably moved slowly because they included the elderly, mothers with infants, small children and adults. Today, many churches continue to carry on this historic tradition with a Palm Sunday parade.
Regarding Suffolk's second Palm Sunday parade, Mann noted, ``For many, this will be the first time they will have marched out of doors for their Church. This is an act of worship offered to God, an act of witness offered to the community and an act of devotion strengthening individual faith.''
``This will be a wonderful time for the downtown Main St. churches to stand together in honor of God and witness to our city,'' Estes added. ``Denominational affiliation is not what matters here. The fact that we serve and honor a Risen Lord is what unites us.''
Downtown churches extend an invitation to the public to come and participate in this special event. MEMO: PROCESSION
Assemble, 10:15 a.m., First Baptist Church, 237 N. Main St.
Prayers at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Main Street United Methodist
Church, Suffolk Christian Church. Closing ceremony at First Baptist. ILLUSTRATION: File photo by JIMMY WALKER
Last year was the first time that churches in downtown Suffolk
united for a Palm Sunday procession.
by CNB