Friday, April 18 – Good Friday – was a beautiful day, with warm temperatures and a sense of oneness as approximately 140 people gathered in City Park to commemorate the passion and death of Jesus with the Good Friday Unity Walk.
The walk began at the gazebo by the lake and took a path through the park stopping at a total of 7 stations. At each station, leaders and members of local churches read scripture and enacted a dialogue, featuring two “reporters” sharing the news of what was happening to Jesus. All participants then joined in unison for a response and a verse of a song. Between the stops, someone from the crowd came forward to carry a large cross to the next stop. At the sixth stop, the Impact Ministries Choir sang “Ride On King Jesus” and at the seventh and final stop the program ended with a moving solo of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Julien Patrick Tete Wabo.
This annual event, planned and sponsored by HARC members and friends, is an annual tradition started by the late Rev. Ed Poling (we believe it began in 2011). The first verse of Ed’s song “We Follow Jesus,” which was written for this event, was sung at each stop this year. We are incredibly grateful to Rev. Anna Ressler, who wrote the program, and to the planning team for all their hard work making this a meaningful event. Thanks also go to the readers and musicians for sharing their talents and good spirits.
This event was live streamed to the HARC Facebook page (thanks to Rev. Kyle Powderly), where you can still view the video along with additional photos. The video can also be viewed on our YouTube page. Some great photos of the event were also published in the Herald-Mail.
We are grateful for all those who make this event possible:
Author of the Meditations
Anna Ressler (Hebron Mennonite Church)
Participating Readers
Station 1: First Christian Church
Station 2: Ministero Latino Kadosh
Station 3: Presbyterian Church of Hagerstown
Station 4: Asbury United Methodist Church
Station 5: Robinwood Church
Station 6: Otterbein United Methodist Church
Station 7: Zion United Church of Christ
Actors
Main Reporter: Rev. Anna Ressler
Reporter 2: Zofia Lane
Disciple: Paul Norville
Voice of Women: Shalom Black Lane
Servant 1: Cindy Brown
Servant 2: Zofia Lane
Soldier: Richard Willson
Musicians
Phyllis Dodd & Rusty Curling (We Follow Jesus, written by Rev. Ed Poling)
Impact Ministries Choir (Ride on King Jesus – Stop 6)
Julien Patrick Tete Wabo (The Lord’s Prayer – Stop 7)
Troy Grandy & Rev. Les McIntosh (Call and response songs between stops)
Unity Walk Planning Team Members
Rev. Anna Ressler, Rev. Mary Norville, Rev. Gabe Dodd, Troy Gandy, Howard Wittington, Ashlee Harris, Kathy Powderly
