Open-air service during Games

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33370, 31 October 1973, Page 18

Open-air service during Games

An open-air, ecumenical church service, unlike anything held previously in Christchurch. will be held in the city during the Commonwealth Games next year.

I The site will be North Hagley Park. near the ! Armagh Street gates. The senice. which is expected to last about three-quarters of ian hour, will begin at 11.45 I a m. on Sunday. January 27. The Duke of Edinburgh has agreed to read one of the ' three lessons. Combined church services are a traditional, part ot Commonwealth Games. It was first intended that ) Cathedral Square be the venue, but for security reasons a change has been made to Hagley Park. The service comes within the scope of the Games organisation’s co-ordination of other activities committee. ! which has passed the 'responsibility to a subcommittee comprising two representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, Fathers K. Burns and F. Kelly, and the Christchurch branch chairman of the National Council of Churches (the Rev. D. 1 Glennie). , Father Burns said yester[day that the theme of the I ! service would be brother)hood. Hopefully, it would be an expression of the different I aspects of a person’s life. . Being open air and i ecumenical, the service, he i said, would provide an) opportunity for great free-) dom of expression, and it) would be departure from the) usual forms of worship. j Much of the detailed plan-) ning had still to be done,) said Father Burns, but it was intended to have cultural and artistic groups included. In addition, there would be a half-hour entertainment period before the service. The present thoughts here

I were singing, and. possibly, !the presentation of a mime, he said. i Father Burns said that while the service would aim at a bringing together in j worship of all the Games j competitors and officials, it was also hoped that manv visitors and residents of Christchurch would attend. Seating would be available. The sub-committee was working on an attendance of about 7000, he said.