This is also the origin of the Easter Bunny, and strangely, Easter Eggs (what? no chickens?!) - all life was thought to have originally come from an egg, and eggs were another favoured symbol of fertility. The "spirit" Easter Bunny/Hare was suppossed to lay its eggs in the grass, and people would go searching for them - the fore-runner of modern day Easter egg hunts.

richmondparkchurch.org.\uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Easter gets it's name from the Saxon goddess of spring called "Eostre". This goddess had a hare's head, which makes sense when you remember that pagan worship centred on nature and fertility, and hares and rabbits breed like....well, rabbits!

richmondparkchurch.org.\uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

What About Easter?

Easter is the spring-time holiday associated with chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits. For Christians it is also the anniversary and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

What sort of church is this?

Richmond Park Church does not belong to any denomination; we are not C of E, Methodist or Baptist. This doesn't mean we are freakish and weird! We are not part of any denomination because we are trying to steer clear of ideas and beliefs that have crept in to Christianity over the hundreds of years since Jesus was resurrected, ideas and beliefs that take us away from the simplicity and guidelines of the Bible.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

The church is a great place to grow in your faith as it means at least once a week you are taking time out to:
(1) focus on worshipping (showing our respect and love for) God and getting to know him more intimately by singing praise songs to him, during which we can often sense God's presence with us, which is amazing;
(2) hear God's words taught from the Bible, learn the significance of those words and how they apply to our everyday lives;
(3) pray for other people and situations and receive prayer for yourself;
(4) develope the gifts and talents God has given you in a nurturing environment and support and encourage one another.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

Giving your life to Jesus is just the start of your Christian journey; we all need to grow in our faith and understanding of God's ways and over the years we change for the better as our motivation and plans fall more and more into line with God's motivation and plans.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK

You can be a Christian without going to church, but it makes life harder for you. God designed us to be inter-dependent, meaning we are at our best when we work together, rather than when we try to go it alone; we all have different strengths and weaknesses and can compliment and support one another. There are lots of things in life - stresses, problems, temptations - that try to lure Christians away from being true to their faith and God. If you belong to a church you've got your "church family" to encourage, look out for, and care for you; and they've got you on their team too.

richmondparkchurch.org.uk an evangelical pentecostal church in Boscombe, Bournemouth, Dorset, UK