Thousands attend ‘March for Jesus’ in Belfast

Thousands of individuals joined Saturday’s non-sectarian “March for Jesus” event in Belfast.

“The atmosphere was stuffed with joy, faith and the presence of God,” said organisers.

“It was greater than only a march — it was a declaration that Jesus is Lord over this city.

“Every song sung, every step taken and each banner raised was for Jesus Christ alone.”

Speaking to the BBC, Deborah McCracken from Ballymena said she had attended last 12 months’s event and was keen to affix again this 12 months.

“It was an incredible time seeing churches and Christians from across the nation come together. We’re all here in unity to have a good time Jesus and to let people know that he’s the hope of the world,” she said. 

“Jesus modified my life and I feel he can change the trajectory of what this nation stands for.”

Another participant, Luke Dean, from the US, said, “I’ve come here to be with lovers of Jesus. At a time like this there’s loads of darkness, in Jesus there’s the sunshine, there’s the hope, there’s salvation.”

Historically Christian marches in Belfast have been points of community tension between the province’s Catholic and Protestant populations. Parades by groups reminiscent of the Orange Order have been interpreted as triumphalist or as celebrating Protestant dominance over the Catholic population.

During the Troubles disputes with the police, particularly over the routes of marches, in addition to conflict between the 2 communities could turn violent. Injuries weren’t unusual and even deaths sometimes resulted from such incidents.

March for Jesus is meant as a unifying event around shared faith in Christ. Indeed participants were discouraged from bringing national flags to the event, with some as a substitute bearing banners which read “Our nation for Jesus”.

The march was billed as a “non-political, family-friendly public event celebrating the Christian faith”. 

“The event brings together churches and Christians from across the land in worship, prayer, and public testimony to exalt the Name of Jesus Christ in the center of Belfast,” said organisers.

The march also took place last 12 months when, in line with organisers, 8,000 people turned up. An identical march in Dublin attracted 25,000 people. The event features prayer, worship, testimony and youngsters’s activities.