Little Rock and its surrounding communities will celebrate the resurrection of Christ at the 29th annual Community Easter Sunrise Service on Sunday.
The ecumenical service begins at 7 a.m. at the First Security Amphitheater in downtown Little Rock, and organizers with Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church have their fingers crossed for good weather.
"It's amazing to think that [the celebration] was the brainchild of one of our members," said Tori Garrett, a member of Pulaski Heights UMC.
Garrett said Swann Kohler, a longtime member of the church, organized the first community sunrise service in 1989, and it has been held every year since.
Attending the event has become a tradition for Garrett and her husband, Dumas, who are serving as co-chairmen this year.
"It's been a part of the family for years," Garrett said. "We love it. We love the way the whole community comes together from all walks of life, from every religious background. It's just open to anyone that wants to come."
About 2,000 people usually attend the service, Garrett said. The number varies based on the weather, but she said the hourlong service has been held through freezing cold, rain and wind. If it rains, she said, the event will be moved into the amphitheater's pavilion.
Participants in this year's service include Furonda Brasfield, executive director of the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty; Savannah Skidmore, Miss Arkansas 2016; state Sen. Will Bond; Kenton Buckner, Little Rock's chief of police; and Lupita Chavarria, director of the Association of Women of Arkansas, according to church spokesman Andrea Wymes.
Kelsey Lam, director of El Zocalo Immigrants Resource Center, also will participate. The center she heads will be the recipient of all the offerings made at the service.
The program's readings follow an annual tradition, but songs will vary depending on what featured musicians choose to perform, Garrett noted.
"We sing the classics -- the wonderful Easter songs," she said.
This year's musicians include the choir from Philander Smith College, one of the participants at the first community sunrise service in 1989; the Parkview Arts/Science Magnet High School chorus; the Arkansas Youth Chorale; Ozark Point Brass Ensemble; and Pulaski Heights UMC's choir. New Creation Dance Company, a group that performs interpretive dances based on religious music, also will be part of the service.
Pulaski Heights senior pastor Brett Skarda has settled on the theme of "Arrival" for the annual message he will deliver Sunday.
"The way the amphitheater is situated, facing the river, the sun comes up just over the I-30 bridge and it's rising just as the service begins," Garrett said. "I can't not appreciate, with the title of the service, the arrival of a new day."
Garrett said a unique feature of the service is the opportunity to experience others reading Scripture and experiencing community in a worshipful setting.
She encouraged those planning to attend to arrive early -- the amphitheater's parking lot fills up quickly, she said -- but said there are plenty of other parking options downtown, especially at that time of day.
The dress code is casual, and pets are welcome with a leash.
"It's a really wonderful way to start any day -- outside, with the sunrise, and then to be Easter Sunday, when Christians across the world remember the day of resurrection," Garrett said. "It's just a great way to celebrate Easter."
Religion on 04/15/2017