A joyous occasion - the 50th Anniversary service was a celebration 
of the past 50 years of Coventry Cathedral

The Princess read the Old Testament reading from 2 Chronicles 6.40-7.4 with Pastor Eniiwaju Etomi (Senior Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God), reading the New Testament reading from Revelation 1.12-18. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s sermon mentioned the architecture of the building and the Tapestry where the human figure is placed between Jesus’ feet looking in the same direction as Christ towards the beautiful stained glass windows and the Ruins beyond - ruins that speak so powerfully of the destruction of war and the Peace and Reconciliation ministry that was created from them.

 

With over 1,800 guests, the congregation included visiting dignitaries from all over the world including Germany, Sweden, Israel, Jordan and Nigeria. Other members of the congregation include relatives of artists and craftsmen involved in the Cathedral’s construction and members of the Cathedral community, a number of whom were taking part in the service.

 

The 30th anniversary of the loss of HMS Coventry was remembered through the presence of Lieutenant Commander Timothy Leeder RN, the Principal Warfare Officer of HMS Diamond, HMS Coventry’s sister ship.

 

The hymns included ‘Lord for the Years’, which for the anniversary has an additional verse written by The Reverend Canon Dr David Stone, Canon Residentiary:

 

‘Lord, for this place, we sing in celebration, thankful for all your grace has brought to birth, foes now made friends through reconciliation, Lord of this place, we seek your peace on earth’ summed up the service beautifully.