AS many as 1,000 Craven Christians are joining millions elsewhere in a global "March for Jesus" in Skipton next month.

The town's High Street is likely to be awash with music and colourful crowds as members of 20 Christian churches join together to "celebrate Jesus".

Police escorts and stewards will be brought in as Skipton joins hundreds of other centres around the world in simultaneous marches designed to take the Christian faith to the people. A leaflet promoting the March for Jesus urges local centres to "take the walls off your church".

The other aim of the event, on May 30, is to pray for suffering churches around the world, whose members can't openly display their faith for fear of persecution.

Most of Craven's Christian churches will be involved, starting at the top of the High Street at Holy Trinity Church with music and prayers.

During the day 400 helium-filled balloons bearing the words God Loves You will be released by children attending the march.

Diane Easby, an organiser with the Baptist Church in Skipton, said: "This is a global event and it would be a shame for us to miss it. We have never done anything on this scale before.

"We will start off at Holy Trinity Church at 1pm where there will be music and prayers for an hour. Then the crowd will march through Skipton towards Christ Church. We have already got permission for the traffic to be stopped and we are having a police escort.

"It's quite a brave step with Skipton being such a small town, but the police are quite happy.

"In the evening there will be prayers and words about the world's suffering churches at St Andrew's."

Pastor Peter Eaves, of Skipton's Pentecostal Church, added: "We are expecting a really good crowd if God gives us good weather. We are hoping for at least 500 people to come but there could be a lot more. Churches from as far west as Bolton and as far east as Ilkley have been invited.

"It's great because the day will bring together the gamut of churches in one big global celebration."

For more information about the March for Jesus call (01756) 760895.

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