text: 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 wasn't taken lightly and there are other churches very close by where people can go to worship. It doesn'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 isn'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.
target: All Saints Church, Wolverhampton, hosts Thursday session for prostitutes .
  Moved traditional Maundy Thursday service to today to avoid cancelling .
  Religious leaders said the move reflected the true values of Christianity .