Whitsun: In the past, it had become a custom to hold a special 'Confirmation Service' on Pentecost Day, thereby enabling children who had been baptised when they were still a baby to 'confirm' for themselves the baptism vows made for them by their parents and Godparents, and so enter into full membership of the Church. It was part of that custom that girls wore white dresses, so the day became known as 'White Sunday', shortened into 'Whit Sunday' and eventually 'Whitsun'. Such Services are still held on that day but many are now held at other times - the term 'Whitsun' has therefore tended to be replaced by the more basic 'Pentecost'.
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Pentecost Party: Most churches hold a special Service to celebrate Pentecost, but as the feast can be regarded as the birthday of the church, some churches now also hold a party on this day to celebrate that fact. The 'party' may be held before or after the Festival Service and may include communal food, party games, etc.
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Outreach Event (Evangelism): As the disciples, filled with the Holy Spirit, went out and preached the Gospel, so some churches organise an 'outreach' event around the time of Pentecost to share the Gospel with church members and/or outsiders. This may take many different forms, such as a party as described above but at which the Gospel is preached as one of the activities, a quiz or car relay where questions on the Bible are featured, or a traditional 'Evangelistic Campaign' inviting non-churchgoers to hear the Christian message. (Evangelism is a term used to describe the preaching of the Christian Gospel and is derived from 'Evangel' which is an old word for 'Gospel').
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