By Kara Linaburg
“Easter is what we are all about, overcoming,” said Father Chris Turner of St Ann’s Catholic Church. “Rising back, crawling back, from everything that holds us back, not only from God but also our family.” Turner’s church on 610 Pike St. in Shinnston has a special service planned for Saturday, April 8, at 8 p.m., as well as service on Easter Sunday at 10 a.m.
He said this is a special holiday that’s about coming together as a family. His favorite Easter memories circle around dressing up with his family and attending church together. “That’s what it’s all about,” he said.
All around Harrison county, churches will celebrate Easter with special services, egg hunts for the children, and special meals.
Even though people have reported less interest in religion over the last several decades, local church leaders still report above-average attendance on Easter and gatherings are still a common tradition. In a 2014 Gallup poll, 56% of people said that religion is important and about 40% said that they attended some sort of church service once a week.
This is a considerable drop from the 1950s, where more than 70% of people said they thought that religion was important to them.
But despite these dropping numbers, Easter services continued to draw large crowds at churches like Jewel City Church in 2022, which held a packed house Easter morning. According to a news article on tctimes.com, some church leaders report attendance can nearly double around Easter and Christmas.
“I think there’s something special about it (Easter)… something drawing about it that pulls us in,” Turner said of the holiday and why it draws so many crowds to the church’s pews Sunday morning as well as throughout the weekend.
Pastor Jeff Dytzel of The Warrior’s Chapel on 68 Main St. in Shinnston, added that each person’s reason for attending might be different. “Maybe you just show up because you’ve heard the Word but you’ve never received it, and something in you says, ‘maybe I should go,’” he said.
Regardless of the reason, Dytzel said that the holiday is tied to memories of family, making it special for many. “My favorite memories will always be family getting together,” he said, “Just gathering around the table and celebrating what gifts God has blessed us all around us.” He stated that Easter is also about overcoming, making it especially meaningful in times when emotional health is a struggle.
“Many people around us have no hope. They’re down and out, depressed, oppressed, they have anxiety, they have different woes and different issues,” Dytzel said.
Many don’t know “the end of the story yet,” he added.
“And sometimes not knowing the end of the story can beat you up, and put you down. But we already have a God that has written the story and we just have to trust in Him.”
Dytzel’s church plans to host three services throughout the weekend of the holiday, including Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 6 p.m., and Sunday at 11 a.m., all with the theme, “A Lot Can Happen In Three Days.”
A couple of the other churches that reached out with their Easter service dates and times are as follows: Jewel City on 511 Jewel City Blvd. in Meadowbrook and Jones Run Church on 3925 Jones Run Rd. in Lumberport, both plan to hold sunrise services at 7 a.m. Easter Sunday with normal services following. On Good Friday, Jones Run also plans to hold a service at 6 p.m. and offer communion. First Baptist on 70 Rebecca St. in Shinnston will hold their Easter egg hunt at the Lighthouse, Saturday April 8, at noon, as well as a sunrise service Easter Sunday at 6:30 a.m..
