On four consecutive days last week, the cathedral was full to the rafters with nearly a thousand Year 6 pupils on each of the days. They celebrated their time in primary school and were prayed for as they prepare to move on to their high school in September. In addition to the pupils many parents also joined this time of celebration and reflection … the cathedral was so full that we had to put out extra chairs for parents … a nice problem to have! To fill the largest cathedral in the country is wonderful.
This year the children considered the account of Moses leading the Hebrew people from their slavery in Egypt to The Promised Land. This included God calling him through a burning bush and overcoming the obstacle of the Red Sea. Pupils were reminded that God can speak to each and every one of us through the most unlikely of ways. It might not be a burning bush for us it might be through other people or through our reading of the bible.
We were also reminded that no matter how big the obstacle in front of us might be, in Moses’ case the Red Sea, God will see us through. As the children face moving to high school, which for many might be quite daunting, God will be walking with them each step of the way.
The service was action packed with hardly a moment to draw breath, Y Kids led the singing with lots of actions too … the song I am free was a big hit. In Another Place created a three-part drama that used the whole of the cathedral with a stand-off between Pharaoh and Moses to the music of Phantom of the Opera … this really grabbed everyone’s attention and the full length of the cathedral served as the Red Sea. Tim Coates from The Mount Church in St Helens pieced it all together and passed on some really important messages for the pupils, teachers and parents.
School choirs from Bishop Martin CE Primary in Skelmersdale, Trinity St Peter’s CE Primary in Formby, St Philip’s CE Primary in Warrington and St Mary’s CE Primary in Lowton helped set the scene as prayers from every child were offered. This was a very moving part to the service.
The cheers and applause from the children as the school banners were processed at the end of the service are probably still echoing around the building. The Year 6 pupils left the service knowing that God is with them wherever they go. Our prayer is that they enjoy their last few weeks of primary school life and are happy and successful in their high schools.
