S1 TRIP TO PRESCOT GOSPEL HALL & LIVERPOOL CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL

 

Report by Sophie Huntington

The first church that we visited was Evans Street, Gospel Hall in Prescot. It is a small building in a residential street. The Gospel Hall is very plain inside. It has chairs facing a platform with a reading desk and table. There is a small electronic organ which is sometimes used for hymn singing. There is a text on the wall saying “Jesus Christ is lord” Underneath the platform is a tank which when filled with water is used for adult baptism. The services are Bible based in fact the whole purpose is to recognize that Jesus is the only one who can forgive sins. The church tries to spread the Gospel to local people in Prescot, by putting leaflets through doors.

Every Sunday they have breaking the bread, to remember Jesus as he asked us to do at the Last Supper. The church supports missionaries in many different lands. We were told that the whole bible can be summed up in John chapter 3 verse 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”

 

The second church we visited is the Roman Catholic Metropolitan in Liverpool. This is a very different church. There were lots of steps leading up to it. It is a very large stone building with a high ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows. The cathedral is an unusual shape. As you enter the cathedral there is holy water and people make the sign of the cross. The pews are in a circle with the altar in the middle. There are large candles. There are organ stalls for the choir and a large pipe organ.

The cathedral has lots of small chapels where people can pray. One is called Reconciliation. There is a large statue of Mary with her rosary beads. The font is used to baptise babies. There is a Golden Book with the names in of people who have died. Underneath the cathedral is a crypt. There was a priest dressed in robes. I do not think the Cathedral is wholly based on the Bible. The two churches are completely opposite and worship in different ways.

We have a number of excellent reports from other members of the S1 party. Sophie was the first to submit her article. Other reports will be available from this page soon.