GRAFFITI SCRAWLED ON CRUCIFIX OUTSIDE LEICESTER CHURCH

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Graffiti scrawled on crucifix outside Leicester church

Vandals scrawled graffiti "tags" on a crucifix in the grounds of a city church.

The figure outside the Church of St Andrews, in Jarrom Street, near Leicester Royal Infirmary, was targeted this week.

Two designs – TW3 and, possibly, LGC3 – were written on the figure in what appeared to be black marker pen.

The incident is believed to have happened between Monday and Wednesday.

Canon Barry Naylor, who discovered the damage, said: “It has caused a great deal of upset.

“There is a 4ft fence with spiked railings they would have to get over and then the crucifix itself is quite all. So they have gone to some effort to do this.

“I am hoping that someone will be able to tell the police who did this.

“I have told the police that, if possible, I would like to speak to this person or people and explain to them how much they have upset people.

“Another reason people here are so upset is that when I first came to the church the figure on the cross was old and damaged and people in the church raised money to buy a new one.

“It has become quite a focal point and people will sometimes stop in the street and make the sign of the cross in front of it.”

Pc Tahir Mahmood, who is investigating, said: “This is obviously a distressing crime for the church, who are saddened that someone would do this to their property.

“I would appeal to anyone who was in the area between Monday and Wednesday and saw either anyone acting suspiciously or loitering in the area to get in touch.

"I would also like to speak to anyone who has heard anything about the incident, whether it be from, friends or heard rumours.

“Even the smallest piece of information may help.”

Contact Pc Mahmood on 101 or Crimestoppers, which is anonymous, on 0800 555 111.

TWIST IN REENACTMENT'S TALE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Twist in reenactment's tale

Next year's powerful reenactment of the crucifixion of Jesus in the city centre promises to tell the Easter story in a different way to previous years.

The Christ in the Centre event, held each year on Good Friday, will be given a new twist by children's author Meg Harper.

It will be based on her play, The First Easter, which has been performed in both the UK and US.

She has joined the event's producers and is writing fresh scenes to extend the original script, which will premiere at the event in Easter 2013.

It is also the first year the play will be staged twice in one day.

Rev Stephen Foster, Anglican chaplain to Leicester University, and joint chairman of the event's organising committee, said: "One of the strengths of performing this in the heart of Leicester's shopping area is the opportunity to bring the true Easter message to a much wider audience than we have done before.

"We hope holding the second performance in the afternoon will increase the effectiveness of this outreach."

The event's organisers are also asking anyone who would like to be part of this year's religious reenactment to attend one of the two casting workshops being held in December.

Casting workshops will take place tomorrow and on Saturday, December 8, at St Andrew's Community Hall, in Jarrom Street, Leicester.

Both workshop sessions begin at 11am.

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Rev Tim Stevens, welcomed thousands of people to last year's event, which cost £40,000 to stage.

Hoards of spectators packed out Humberstone Gate and joined in prayer before watching the traditional Bible story unfold – with some audience members being brought to tears by the powerful narrative.

The play's new artistic director, Sarah Chiswell-Hornett, creative projects producer at The Castle Theatre, in Wellingborough, has been tasked with recreating the passionate atmosphere of the event.

She said: "We want the event to be a community-based telling of the Easter story, using a combination of theatre and music, which will bring people together in the heart of Leicester."

The play's writer Meg Harper has previously penned scripts for similar events in Warwick, where her story The Day They Killed The Son of God was performed on Good Friday in 2007.

This year's performance of The First Easter will take place in Humberstone Gate, at 10.30am and 2pm.

ELIZABETH & ALAN'S WEDDING

At St Andrew's Church, Jarrom Street, for the wedding of Elizabeth Wayne and Rev Alan Hawker.

Elizabeth is Head of Religious Education at Soar Valley College, long-standing member of Leicester Council of Faiths and a mainstay of Leicester SACRE. She's been very supportive of me in my post and was particularly helpful when I was writing the series of leaflets on each of our member faith communities and putting together my first training presentations. Her dress is very distinctive, having a lovely Pre-Raphaelite look about it.

I'm here with Harry and Grace and there's a good turnout of members of the Council of Faiths (about a dozen of us I'd say, from a variety of religious backgrounds). The three of us arrive early (very early by Ballerntyne standards, with more than ten minutes to spare before the start time of twelve noon) but there's standing room only, in what is a pretty big church. The service is conducted by Canon Barry Naylor (afterwards I tell the ubiquitous Barry that I'm beginning to believe there's more than one of him ).

I've never been to a Church of England wedding ceremony before - and St Andrew's seems very High Church. There's something in the service that I've not heard before: after the bride and groom have exchanged vows, the congregation is asked, "Will you, the families and friends of Alan and Elizabeth, support and uphold them in their marriage now and in the years to come?" to which we all respond "We will!" If that's normal in a Church of England wedding ceremony, then how nice; and if it isn't - then how nice!

It's such a pleasant afternoon and the kids have a lovely time too. I'm grateful to Elizabeth and Alan for inviting us to share in their special day.