Holy Week, Easter, APCM, and April News
- Mar 28
- 8 min read
Holy Week & Easter
Holy Week is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, the holiest week of the Christian year as we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year Holy Week begins on 29th March, Palm Sunday and ends 5th April, Easter Sunday.
There's lots going on, but the more you put in the more rewarding it is.
Holy Week invites us to walk with Jesus through the whole story of our salvation, not simply to arrive at Palm Sunday and then jump to Easter Day. The services of Maundy Thursday evening and Good Friday afternoon are especially important, because they draw us into the Last Supper, the command to love and serve, and the solemn reality of the cross. Without them, we miss the heart of the story, and Easter joy can become detached from the cost of Christ’s love. To keep Holy Week well is to travel with Christ through sorrow and sacrifice into the fullness of resurrection hope.
Find out all about what services are on below.
Holy Week Highlights
Click on a service to find out more about what happens during the worship and to see photos from previous years.
The Liturgy of Palm Sunday
29th March, 10am
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final Sunday of Lent. We commemorate the triumphant arrival of Christ into Jerusalem on a donkey, just days before the crucifixion.
The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday
2nd April, 7:30pm
This service is one of the most significant and beautiful in the Church calendar, focusing on humility, service, and sacrifice, reflecting Jesus' teachings during his final hours.
Liturgy of Good Friday
3rd April, 2pm
The Liturgy of Good Friday is a solemn and reflective service marking the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death.
The Dawn Easter Liturgy
5th April, 5am
The Easter Liturgy is a vibrant celebration of the arrival of Easter. This service begins in the early hours before sunrise, where we gather in darkness outside the church around a bonfire, symbolizing the light of Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death.
Worth getting up for!
For Children & Families
Children and families are welcome at all of our services. At 10am on Sundays there is Junior Church as part of our worship. The following are specifically aimed at children and young people.
Junior Church Good Friday Service
Friday 3rd April
10am
Church
This short service helps children and families engage with the story of Good Friday through a simple Passion Play.
Hot Cross Buns afterwards.
Easter Bubble Church
Sunday 5th April
9am
The Hall
Bubble Church is a Sunday church service especially for babies, toddlers, and young families. It's a puppet-packed, Jesus-centred, coffee-and-croissant-fueled, 30 minute kids and families adventure.
April Sunday Services at a glance
Sunday 5th April
Easter Day
5am The Dawn Easter Liturgy
8am Eucharist in Traditional Language
9am Bubble Church
10am Sung Eucharist of Easter with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 12th April
The Second Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 19th April
The Third Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
9am Bubble Church
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Sunday 26th April
The Fourth Sunday of Easter
8am Eucharist
10am Sung Eucharist with Junior Church and Crèche
Lent Course
Our Lent course continues after Easter for a couple more weeks. Check below where you're up to. Remember you can come along to
an
Annual Parochial Church Meeting
Each spring, every parish must hold an Annual Parochial Church Meeting, (APCM). This meeting reports on changes to the electoral roll, parish activities and financial matters. There are also elections to be members of the PCC (the church's management committee), and every three years, it is also the occasion when new members to the Deanery Synod are elected.
The meeting is preceded by a second meeting, which is open to all the people in the parish, called the Annual Meeting of Parishioners. This meeting is to elect the Church Wardens.
The next meeting is Sunday 26th April at 12pm in the Church Hall.
2026 Elections
2 Churchwardens
3 members of Deanery Synod (who are also ex officio members of the PCC)
3 additional PCC Members
Please speak to Fr Ben or a someone who has already fulfilled one of these roles to know more. Nomination forms are available from the office.
Group Reports
If you are responsible for a church group, club or committee you must complete a report on the activity of your group over the past year.
Please complete the form here, or email the church office for a word document to be emailed to you for you to fill in and send back. Hard copies can be collected from the parish office.
Electoral Roll
In simple terms, the Church Electoral Roll is the official list of members in a Church of England parish who have the right to vote on church matters. Think of it as a "register of members" rather than just a list of people who attend services. It is the foundation of how the local church is governed.
If you live in the parish, or have been worshipping with us for six months, and you have not already completed this form, please do.
In 2025 everyone had to fill it in. This year only new members do.
Giving to St Bart's
Lent is a time to reflect on how we live our faith, including how we give. At St Bart’s, generosity takes many forms: time, prayer, skills, and financial support all help sustain our worship and mission. As a growing church, everything we do (and everything we hope to do in the future) is made possible through the generosity of those who support our life together.
Our Giving Campaign page explains how the church is funded, what your giving makes possible, and the vision we share for St Bart’s in the years ahead, along with practical ways to give and answers to common questions.
Bubble Church is a Sunday church service especially for babies, toddlers, and young families. It's a puppet-packed, Jesus-centred, coffee-and-food-fuelled, 30 minute kids and families adventure.
Even if you regularly attend, please do sign up. It really helps us to prepare.
Remember our fun and informal Junior Church and Crèche run alongside our 10am Service, so children are very welcome to stay for that too, or come along on a week when Bubble Church isn't running.
Confirmation
Confirmation is the chance to make your baptism promises for yourself and to be strengthened in the service of God. The bishop leads the service of confirmation and says
"Confirm O Lord your servant with the Holy Spirit".
Anyone who is baptised and able to speak for themselves can be confirmed although it is usually for teenagers and adults. Those who are baptised as adults should be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.
Please speak to Fr Ben if you would like to be confirmed.
Monday Club
The Monday Club is a friendly and welcoming group open to everyone, with a special focus on providing fellowship and community. Each week we enjoy refreshments, conversation, and the chance to catch up with friends old and new.
April Meetings (1:30pm on Mondays)
13th - Social
20th - Jean Mayer "Along the River Tyne"
27th - Geoff Hughes "50 Reasons for loving the North East"
Global Recycling Event
Our second recycling event was a great success and our eco team have a car full of recycling to be sorted.
They’re also looking for financial contributions towards bird boxes for the churchyard. If you can spare a little something that’d be great!
REMINDERS
Did you know that you can contact the Parish Office via WhatsApp?
Add us:
01912662015
Are you new to church?
Thinking of coming along for the first time? Just go for it!
We know it can feel intimidating not knowing what to do or where to go, but here you’ll find a warm welcome on the door and someone ready to help with everything you need. Our main Sunday services are at 8am (quiet) and 10am (with music), with midweek Holy Communion on Tuesdays at 6:30pm and Wednesdays at 10am, and daily prayer at 9am and 5:30pm. Plus the church is often open for you to sit and pray during the day.
Children are always welcome: we have Junior Church and a crèche at the 10am service, plus Bubble Church for toddlers and young children. We’re fully accessible, and everything in our services is explained; there’s no need to worry about when to sit, stand, or join in, and a friendly neighbour will always be glad to help.
Regularly hearing God's word, praying, praising, and receiving communion will change your life for the better. And we'd love to welcome you.
Morning and Evening Prayer
The Daily Offices (Morning and Evening Prayer) are the Church’s ancient pattern of prayer that punctuates the day with praise, intercession, and reflection on Scripture. From the earliest centuries, Christians gathered at set hours to pray on behalf of all creation and for the salvation of the world, with morning and evening soon becoming the principal times of prayer.
This tradition continues at St Bart's.
9am Morning Prayer
5:30pm Evening Prayer
These services weave together psalms, Bible readings, and prayers in a rhythm that unites individuals, congregations, and religious communities across time and place.
Whether prayed alone or together with others, the Offices give shape to the day, ensuring that, echoing George Herbert’s words: “seven whole days, not one in seven” are given to the praise of God and the forming of God’s people through word and prayer.
Come along and try it.
NB There are usually no services on Fridays.
Everyday Faith App
Everyday Faith is the daily devotional app from the Church of England designed to inspire, equip and encourage you in your faith every day of the week. The app will provide you with carefully curated daily reflections, including selected Bible readings, a simple prayer to prepare you for the day ahead, and thoughts based on that week’s theme.
Search for "Everyday Faith" on your phone's app store, or click Download for iOS or Download for Android.
Easy Fundraising
Easy Fundraising is a website which gives the church (or any charitable cause) free money. Businesses like Tesco, Argos, and Marks and Spencer pay Easy Fundraising a small commission when they direct you to their website to spend money. They forward that money onto us.
For example, if you buy your groceries online from Morrisons, go to Easy Fundraising first, and click on Morrisons. Then when you checkout, Morrisons gives us £1.30 as a thank you. You will need to make an account and select St Bartholomew's as your cause.
It may sound complicated, but once it's set up it's free money for the church!
Reminder: Home Communions
There are some permanently housebound members of our congregation who are taken Holy Communion to their home. This is bread (and wine) which has been consecrated by a priest at church, and then taken by a member of the Home Communion team to be distributed at home or hospital.
But this is not just available to those who cannot come to church at all. If you have been unwell or for any reason unable to attend for a couple of weeks, get in touch! We will visit you and bring you the sacrament.
Also, if you are unwell, or would like to be added to our prayer list, please tell us. Do not assume we know!