Worshippers from St Jude's Church in Southsea, together with St Simon's Church, St Margaret's Church, the Vineyard Church, the Methodists and Kings Church in Southsea re-created the feeding of the 5,000 as part of a free community festival.
120 volunteers gave out free food to members of the public together with a copy of the story recorded in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, as part of the #Feeding5K event.
The initiative was organised to bring to life Jesus' miracle of feeding 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish and encourage people to consider his life and works.
Speaking before the event, Rev Neil Smart of St Jude's Church said: "We want to put Jesus back at the centre of the life of our city by showing that he still does miracles among us today."
The community festival included live music from Christian singer Jessie Dipper, talks, interviews, and specialist activities for kids and youth.
The event was financially supported by the Love Portsmouth Fund and the Portsmouth Diocese's Mission Opportunities Fund.
Thousands of passers-by were fed as Southsea churches recreated one of Jesus's miracles. The #Feeding5k event involved 5,000 freshly-battered cod in bread rolls being handed out - plus live music, games, kids' activities and a samba band. Details: https://t.co/u6cMgAOOOL pic.twitter.com/9kwg9SIJDZ
— Portsmouth Diocese (@CofEPortsmouth) September 7, 2019
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.