By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

As the main service days of Holy Week begin, Central Haven Church is hosting a unique opportunity on Good Friday with a Passion Walk in New York Mills on Friday, April 18 at 11:30 a.m. at the City Hall Parking lot, in front of the Senior Center.

This particular event is based on a similar walk that the Assembly of God in Perham held in 2004, an important part of Central Haven’s Pastor Stew Burns’ faith journey. As a sort of continuation of Perham’s longtime event, he was able to use their cross last year to start the annual event in NY Mills.

“There were more people than I expected,” said Burns about last year’s turnout. “We did expect some people to show up, but I was just hoping somebody would.”

The group will meet at 11:30 a.m. at the city hall parking lot between the Post Office and senior center. There, the group will gather in prayer around the cross in unity to ask for provision over the nation, state and local leaders as well as the people of the community. From there, they will set off on the normal parade route around town.

“I’m hoping that we can go out onto Centennial and then go down that road to Tousely,” said Burns. “Then it would be down the same route as last year. I just want to get permission from our police chief before we do that.”

The group will slowly follow Tousley to the Congregational church and from there, follow Gilman westward until St. Peter’s, where they would turn south to finish their route at Central Haven. A Good Friday service with communion will be held upon the arrival of the group to remind them of the walk’s true meaning.

“It’s to remind people of Good Friday and to give them an opportunity to get involved and reflect on the meaning,” said Burns. “Everyone is invited, everybody’s welcome.”

While Burns and his wife, Alanna, first experienced this in 2004, it is a new experience to many. That is one part of this event that he is most looking forward to during this Good Friday.

“Watching others experience it,” he said. “I was actually just listening to somebody preach on the road that they marched Jesus down, there were actually markets on both sides of the street, so part of it was just the humiliation.

“I mean it’s one of those events that we think about and we even ponder,” he continued. “But when you pause to realize that this actually happened…”

Holy Week is a time of quiet and reflection and Central Haven invites the community to do just that with their Good Friday Passion Walk and service on Friday.