POWER OF PRAYER
Churches observe Good Friday with annual procession
POTTSTOWN >> Parishioners from around the area gathered to observe Good Friday with prayers for the Pottstown community.
Dozens of parishioners from 15 area churches met along Hanover Street Friday morning to take part in the 24th annual Good Friday Prayer Processional.
The tradition serves as a way for Christians to offer prayers for causes and remember the meaning of Good Friday, one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar.
“We’re gathering as different communities of faith to walk through the town and remember the words of the prophet Jeremiah. He said, ‘ The Lord said seek the welfare of the city to which I have sent you.’ So that’s what we’re doing. We’re coming together to walk and pray for the welfare of our city and to bear witness to Jesus’ love for our community and all people,” said the Rev. Kerry Pidcock-Lester of First Presbyterian Church.
The procession began with a gathering on North Hanover Street between Zion’s United Church of Christ and Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
Those in attendance said a prayer together before heading to the first stop on Beech Street outside the Pottstown School District administration building.
Parishioners said prayers for groups including children and educators, churches, neighborhoods struggling with drugs and violence and those who govern, among others.
Each prayer ended with a hymn before the group moved on to the next location. Along the way, parishioners helped clean the community by picking up trash along the way.
The locations included Corner Park, First Baptist Church and the YWCA, the Cluster Outreach Center, Borough Hall and the Salvation Army.
“We hope that those who see us are made aware that
this is a holy day for us and that Christ went to the cross out of love for all people, not
just the people walking today but for all people,” said Pidcock-Lester.