St. Barnabas, Toronto was part of the annual Good Friday Ecumenical Walk on Danforth Avenue on March 30. Five churches – Riverdale Presbyterian, Holy Name Roman Catholic , Eastminster United, the Danforth Church and St. Barnabas – walked from church to church, following the Stations of the Cross. The 300-plus walkers followed the cross into each church, then, after 15 or 20 minutes, walked on to the next one. The final church was St. Barnabas.
This year, St. Barnabas was pleased to have the Rev. Dr. Anita Gaide of the East Toronto Latvian Lutheran Church and members of her congregation as part of the St. Barnabas presentation. The Latvian Church congregation has worshipped at St. Barnabas for 50 years.
St. Barnabas served hot cross buns and beverages to all who took part in the walk, which has been held for nearly 20 years. Each year, the number of participants increase. “To be part of the walk and worship with other churches and to see each church filled to capacity was an amazing experience for all who took part,” says Helen Taylor, the assistant churchwarden at St. Barnabas. The church will be celebrating its 160th anniversary in June.
A song of hope and healing