Easter walk brings fun, new perspective on story
Members of the North Main Street Church of God brought creativity and understanding to the Resurrection story at the “Twas the Morning of Easter” story walk Saturday.
The event, which ran from 1 to 4 p.m. in the church gym, was crafted after a children’s book by Glenys Nellist, and featured live actors, puzzles and snacks for the families attending.
From the empty tomb to Jesus reuniting with the disciples, each phase of the book was on display and read for young participants. Everyone got to collect puzzle pieces for a later activity, as well as a token from the story.
Connie Gratzer, organizer of the event, said the event took five hours of preparation and eight volunteers.
“I pray that this touches people’s hearts,” she said. “To me, it’s important to know how Jesus died for us.”
Some stations had teen members of the congregation portraying players in the story from disciples to Roman guards.
Brie Norman was one such volunteer. She portrayed Mary Magdalene and led children in smelling frankincense, myrrh and lilly of the valley: all spices that would have been used to bury Jesus.
“(The walk) is a good thing that anyone can come here and do, if they come to the church or not. It’s easy to understand. I know for me, some Bible stories are hard to understand,” she said.
In addition to experiencing sights and smells, children picked up bracelets, candy and more at each station. Parents were given a list of questions to ask their children at each station as well to test their knowledge. At the end, the puzzle pieces they collected spelled out “Jesus is Risen.”
Families were encouraged to color Easter-themed pages and have a snack during their time in the church gym.
Based on her experience at last year’s event, Valerie Checkeye decided to help out this year.
“I think it’s always so important to remember (the story) when we’re busy with so many things that cloud the real reason. I did it with my family last year, and we were able to talk (the story) through with them,” she said.
Stephanie Horstman and her children left the walk smiling ear to ear. Her daughter Annie, 5, said the Roman guard actor was her favorite.
“I loved-ed it,” she smiled.
“We were looking for some Easter stuff to do with the family,” Horstman said. “It’s a great way for us to talk about the true meaning of Easter. It’s a different way to celebrate.”
Checkeye’s favorite part of the day was seeing families react to the walk.
“The kids seem to really enjoy it,” she said. “They sure take something with them: a new perspective.”
