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Back to HomeFeature Article - April 12, 2012Easter family fun in VeronaSharbot Lake Walk of the CrossThe Sounds of Easter in Sydenham Easter family fun in Veronaby Julie Druker
Photo: Lilly, Shelby, Zakk and Mia paint eggs at the Easter Extravaganza event held at the Verona Pentecostal Assembly in Verona on April 7
Apparently it did not take long for the young and eager Easter egg hunters to locate all 1250 chocolate Easter eggs hidden in the field at Prince Charles Public School in Verona. Pastor Cory Bursey of the Verona Pentecostal Assembly, along with numerous volunteers from the church, hosted their first ever Easter Extravaganza on April 7, in which visitors enjoyed the egg hunt and a BBQ, making crafts and playing games. Pastor Bursey was pleased with the turn out and plans to organize another Extravaganza next year where he says he will be upping the egg count to 5000. “This year was a trial run to see how things would work and everything went really well so we will definitely be doing it again.”
The church will be also hosting a community family fun day on Saturday, June 30, that will include a circus, a live animal zoo, a garage sale, air castles, and an assortment of ethnic foods that visitors can sample. Also in the works at the church are future plans for a community skateboard, basketball and hockey park to be located beside the church.
Sharbot Lake Walk of the Crossby Julie Druker
Photo: L-r Lois Webster, Pastor Ken Walton, Richard Webster, Mae Walton, Rev. Nancy MacLeod, and Pastor Mark Hudson
Six members of various local area churches joined together on Good Friday for their third year in an ecumenical 'Walk of the Cross/Passion Walk” around the village of Sharbot Lake. The six participants recited prayers and scripture and sang hymns at a number of planned stops in the village including the various churches as well as one at the Sharbot Lake Seniors Home. Rev. Nancy MacLeod of the United church said the walk is “an opportunity to journey together as a joint Christian community on Good Friday to remember the importance of this day.” Pastor Mark Hudson of the Pentecostal Church said he was pleased with the respect that passersby showed for the procession. “Even though these days we perhaps live in a society where there are more non-Christians than Christians, I noticed during the walk that most people tended to slow down when they drove by, recognizing the symbol of the cross and showing their respect, which was nice.”
The Sounds of Easter in Sydenham by Julie Druker
Photo: Choristers and musicians from across South Frontenac and Kingston performed Stainer and Sparrow-Simpson's “The Crucifixion” at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham on Good Friday
Choristers from three local church choirs along with members of choirs from the Anglican Diocese joined together on Good Friday for a special concert at St. Paul's Anglican church in Sydenham.
Under the direction of conductor Brad Barbeau of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham, and with the assured solo voices of tenor David Colwell from the Queen’s School of Religion and bass Phillip Rogers of St. George's Cathedral in Kingston, the sanctuary of St. Paul’s, which was full to capacity, came alive with the sounds of "The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer".
The oratorio was composed by John Stainer and the libretto (the text) was written by Rev. W.J. Sparrow-Simpson. The work was first performed in London, UK in February 1887 and the popularity of the now 120-year-old choral work, as noted in the program, “remains undiminished, confounding all the critics and musical pundits of that time.” The notes go on to add that “the effective communication of the text demands more than just an average choir and soloists.”
In that regard, members of the choirs of St. Paul's Anglican Church in Sydenham, St. Paul's United Church in Harrowsmith and Trinity United Church in Verona, along with other members from various choirs in the Diocese, the two soloists and organist Ian Bevell of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Kingston, stepped up to the plate and masterfully delivered the well-rehearsed work to give life to the Easter Passion.
The oratorio opened with an organ intro, followed by the assured and formative voice of tenor Colwell singing from Mark 14:32, “And they came to a place named Gethsemane: and Jesus saith to His disciples, 'Sit ye here, while I shall pray.'” Bass Rogers followed as the voice of Jesus singing “Could ye not watch with me one brief hour? Could ye not pity my sorest need? Ah! If ye sleep while the tempests lower, surely, my friends, I am alone indeed.”
The chorus joined in unison “Oh, teach us how to love Thee for Thy love; Help us to pray, and watch, and mourn with thee.”
Listeners were given a complete libretto of the work, which is broken down into 20 parts. Its structure, which includes solo recitatives, arias, and various choruses interspersed with hymns that the audience was invited to sing along with, is thought to have been inspired by Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. However, Stainer's work is a much less demanding version. His aim in composing "The Crucifixion" was to provide an extended Passiontide meditation that ordinary choirs could perform without the expense of an orchestra.
The concert was an overwhelming success and hopefully it will not be the last time that the community will be treated to such a top-notch and thought-provoking Easter offering by a group of talented and inspiring musicians from local choirs.
