A church will hold its Maundy Thursday service today instead of tomorrow to allow a weekly drop-in session for prostitutes to go ahead . All Saints Church in Wolverhampton re-scheduled the service , which marks the start of Easter celebrations , so that vulnerable women can attend their regular Thursday sessions tomorrow . The decision comes after prostitutes were left disappointed when the drop-in sessions were cancelled on Christmas Day and New Year 's Day because they both fell on a Thursday . Outreach : All Saints Church in Wolverhampton , pictured , re-scheduled the service , which marks the start of Easter celebrations , so that vulnerable women can attend their regular Thursday sessions tomorrow . Religious leaders have praised the initiative , which has been running since last August , as reflecting the core values of Christianity . All Saints Church , which is in the middle of Wolverhampton 's red light district , is the only place where prostitutes can receive the support offered by the sessions , Reverend Sarah Schofield said . The programme is run alongside national charities Changing Lives and the Terrence Higgins Trust . Service : All Saints Church is the only place where prostitutes can receive the support offered by the sessions , Reverend Sarah Schofield , pictured , said . Reverend Schofield , team vicar at All Saints Church , said : 'We throw open our doors and offer support as well as going out on the streets with hot drinks to invite women in . 'We want to be a reliable , safe and loving place for women , it is important to honour our promise and it has had a real impact on the whole church here . 'There is conversation , there is advice if any woman wants advice about employment or health or other issues . 'It is well received and it is appreciated . Christmas and New Year were on Thursday and we know we had disappointed people by cancelling the session for services . 'We had to take a vote in the congregation in January and it was 100 per cent in favour of moving the service . 'The story of Maundy Thursday is Jesus meeting with a number of people and he meets with women who are outcasts . 'One of the stories we tell on Maundy Thursday is about Jesus being anointed by a woman of low status and it felt wrong to cancel it . ' The Bishop of Wolverhampton , Reverend Clive Gregory , said the decision to move the religious event forward was made by the church council and people should go elsewhere for a traditional Thursday service . He said : 'This decision was n't taken lightly and there are other churches very close by where people can go to worship . It does n't come across as strange to me that All Saints would do this . ' I am very well aware of this project for street workers , it has been a great success in the last six months . 'It performs a very important service for vulnerable women and is exactly what Christian churches should be doing to help their community . ' Reverend Graham Smith of The Good Shepherd Church in Low Hill , added : 'It is a long-standing tradition to have a Maundy Thursday ceremony and an important part of the Christian calendar . 'On the other hand , if we remember what Jesus was all about , he would always remember the outcasts in society . 'For some of these drop-in sessions it can be quite hard to let people know what is going on if there is a change . 'So if people turn up to see it is n't on one week , they may not come again . ' Custom : The Queen hands out Maundy money during last year 's Maundy Thursday service in Blackburn . Maundy Thursday , also known as Easter Thursday , is the beginning of the three-day celebration of Easter . The original version of the Maundy Service involved the sovereign giving money to the poor and washing their feet , a tradition which ended with James II in the 18th century . The custom of washing feet is an an ancient one and commemorates the last supper of Jesus with the Apostles , echoing the story of Christ washing the extremities of his disciples shortly before his death . Although foot washing is no longer part of the ceremony , the tradition of giving 'alms ' continues , albeit symbolically . The Maundy gift , which the Queen hands to members of the congregation at a church service , is made up of two purses , one red and one white . Many Christians commemorate the Last Supper in a special Eucharist . In some churches , they may wash each other 's feet . Some Christians may hold an all night vigil in church , remembering Christ 's time in the Garden of Gethsemane .
All Saints Church , Wolverhampton , hosts Thursday session for prostitutes . Moved traditional Maundy Thursday service to today to avoid cancelling . Comment: