On Saturday, 11th April, Bishop Roger Gurling came to visit Revd Rod Walton and the parish of St Margaret's, Lyndhurst to celebrate the Easter Eucharist at an Easter Vigil service.

The service included an intensive intercessary prayer time, for the needs of over 30 intentions, many of which had been personally requested. This follows on from the recent formation of New Forest Prayer Group, which is intended to bring Christians of varying denominations together for prayer and fellowship in these troubled times. The intercessory prayers were a significant part of the service. Each had several minutes of intense prayer, giving each person time to focus on individual intentions and individual needs. This brought a depth of spiritual power to the prayer. Already there are signs of answer to our prayers.

Bishop Roger spoke on the history of the Easter Vigil and the resurrection, making reference to the book "Who moved the stone" and the relevance of Mark's gospel as one of the earliest gospels.

Photos taken after the service follow below...