Norwich will celebrate faith
Thousands of people will suddenly find themselves right in the middle of an extraordinary display of Christian activity at Norwich this weekend.
For as they enter the city’s highly prestigious Forum venue, they will come face-to-face with no fewer than 45 Christian organisations, who will be presenting their work in a major exhibition.
And as they walk through to the open space on Millennium Plain, shoppers and visitors will be treated to music from the likes of Norwich District Methodist Choir, rock band Brokenfor and musician David Fitzgerald.
From 10-12 June, the city centre will be filled with these living demonstrations of local church life for the Celebrate Norwich & Norfolk festival. Now an established event, it offers a range of activities throughout the three days.
‘We want to celebrate everything good about Norwich and Norfolk and the many different expressions of its Christian community,’ said project director John Betts, ‘its music, social action, outreach, youth, drama and debate.'
‘We want to see Norwich city centre filled with people, finding out about what the Church is doing in social action and experiencing the Good News in culturally relevant ways.’
Events also include training workshops and conference, a high-profile dinner, café church, sporting quiz and a Global Day of Prayer event. Choirs, bands, musicians, street entertainers and artists will all be taking part.
Other partner events include a charity concert at Norwich Cathedral featuring the South Wales Male Choir. The Diocese of Norwich will be holding a training day for young church leaders.
The main event starts at 9am on Friday on Millennium Plain with a short service outside the Forum. ‘We need the support and ideas of as many different Christian groups as possible to make a real impact,’ said John Betts.
Norfolk has long-standing links with HOPE. A team from North Walsham was among those who attended a royal reception at Clarence House during Hope08, when Prince Charles paid tribute to the initiative.
