New Church Day 2024

The New Church Day Picnic and Pageant is a private event for the New Church community to gather and celebrate the beginning of the New Church. It is described as the day in 1770 when the Lord sent His twelve apostles out "to the entire spiritual world to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns and that His kingdom will last for ages of ages" (True Christianity 791).

Picnic and Pageant

This year's picnic and pageant will take place on Wednesday, June 19.

Picnic at 6:00 pm 
Bring a picnic and join us on the Cathedral lawn. Free ice cream will be available to all attendees (1 per person).

Pageant at 7:30 pm
The New Church Day pageant will take place on the East lawn of the Cathedral grounds. If you'd like to sit and watch the pageant, please bring a blanket or chair.

What if it rains?
Plans for inclement weather will be announced the day before based on the forecast. For updates, visit the New Church Day 2024 webpage or the Friends of Bryn Athyn Church Facebook page (request to join required).

Offertory
This is a worship service so there will be an offertory bowl which will go toward supporting the pageant.

Cathedral Lighting and Music
The Cathedral will be lit and there will be music playing from 8:15-10:15 pm.

Road Closure
To maintain a reverent sphere during the pageant and also for the safety of walkers, the Bryn Athyn Police will be closing a section of Cathedral Road between 5:30 & 9 pm. As you turn onto Cathedral Road, you may enter the large lot on the right to circumvent the closure.  All parking lots will be accessible.

Gifts

There will be New Church Day gifts for the children in our congregation from infants through 8th grade to celebrate that “the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, whose kingdom shall be for ages and ages.” These gifts have been specially selected and will hopefully fill a special use in connecting your family to the New Church.
Gifts for infants through preschool age will be available for pickup in the Choir Hall prior to the pageant from 6:45-7:15 pm.

Gifts for Kindergarten through 8th grade will be presented immediately following the pageant on the East lawn. These gifts are for the grade that your child just finished.

In case of rain, visit the New Church Day 2024 webpage or the Friends of Bryn Athyn Church Facebook page (request to join required) for an updated distribution plan.

  1. All children (including visitors from other New Church congregations) who are present at the pageant can collect a gift. They must come up to receive the gift themselves (or with an adult if necessary).
  2. Anyone picking up a gift for a child, who is not present, must wait until all the gifts have been handed out.
  3. Children who are part of our congregation that were unable to come to the New Church Day celebration, can pick up their gift on June 25 or July 2 after the Cathedral Family Service. Andrea Cranch or Brooke Brown will be there to give your child their gift.
NOTE: Cathedral staff members do not hand out the gifts.
If you have questions about the gifts, please contact Brooke (336-509-4970) or Andrea (215-828-1462).

New Church Day Readings Booklet

The booklet was created by Rev. Jeremy Simons. Please pick up a printed copy at the Church Office or the Cathedral. The booklet is also available online or you can download a PDF version.