Wednesday, April 11, 2012 —
Mission Baptist Church celebrated the Easter season with an outreach event on the grounds of Locust Town Hall. More than 8,000 brightly colored eggs covered the lawn. By 10 a.m., more than 200 children with parents and grandparents arrived to have their faces painted and create lovely crafts before going out to gather their Easter finds.
It was a stunning April day, full of sun, gentle breezes and blue sky. Children danced and watched with excitement for the event to begin. There was a mix of church members, local residents and visitors in attendance. People whom had recently relocated to the area were pleased to see such an event as this available for the family.
“We reach out to the community by going into the community instead of waiting for them to come to us,” Mission Senior Pastor Jeremy Hyde said.
Hyde thanked the town for allowing the event to take place at this site. These occasions along with others throughout the year are part of the outreach vision of Mission Baptist. “Journey to the Cross” was another opportunity to minister to the surrounding area. David Troublefield (Stanfield campus pastor), Thomas Childers (youth pastor) and Beverly Cobb (children’s minister) assisted Hyde.
When asked what was their favorite part of Easter, Kierston Foust responded, “Spending time with Daddy,” while Maddie Woodard said, “Jesus Arose,” and Gabriela Austin said, “Getting Easter eggs.”
Some children came to collect thousands of eggs while others were looking for that very special one. No one planned to leave empty handed.
Looking out over the crowd, the children were dressed in bright colors. Some wore bunny ears. Others wore colorful Easter dresses, suits and hats. Even canine friends came to join in on the hunt. Each child was equipped with a basket or bag to gather the prized eggs. The containers were decorated in themes such as “Spiderman,” “CARS,” “Dora the Explorer,” “John Deere,” chickens, flowers, bunnies and bows.
At 10:15 Hyde gave instructions for the hunt. He said: “We have one goal. Everyone has a good time while you are here.”
Two lines were formed: birth to 5 years and 6 years upward. The groups made their way around to the back porch of the building.
Children, parents and grandparents lined up along the perimeter of the lawn. At the signal, they all scoured the grass for brightly colored eggs. Parents captured the moment on camera. Each egg contained a piece of candy, an unexpected prize.
Older children were encouraged to be considerate of the younger ones. As baskets, bags, arms and jackets were filled with eggs, the hunters made their way back to the porch. A ladybug hitched a ride on one child’s egg.
Everyone was encouraged to keep the eggs they collected. Smiles were on each face, as the families departed. Some stayed behind to fly a kite in the gentle wind provided on a sunny day.
Around Stanly County
Related Photos
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Addison, Jimmy and Jennifer Perkins, left to right, pose for a family Easter portrait. Steve Jones
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Mason Murray (left) sports his new Easter suit and matching bunny ears. Steve Jones
Discussion
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