For millions in our culture, the word Easter brings to mind images of colorful eggs, baskets full of candy, and chocolate bunnies. God’s Appalachian Partnership has been seeking to transform our community’s view of Easter by holding an annual Community Easter Egg Hunt called Hunting for the Truth. Although the ministry event has age appropriate egg hunts, the focus of the day is to share the true meaning of Easter, Jesus is Alive!
This year’s event was held on April 2nd with 283 registered participants and 85 volunteers from 7 different churches. We had a wonderful attendance after not being able to have it for the last two years due to Covid-19. One family said, “We look forward to this every year. When the kids saw the banner hanging a couple weeks ago they got so excited. It gets us all out of the house and doing something together. Thanks to everyone who puts this together!”
As always, the day was filled with 7,500 filled Easter eggs, music, games, food, inflatables, lots of fun, and the Gospel. This year, when children and families rotated to the Truth Pavilion, kids were given their own bag of Legos. Then using Legos, the Gospel was vividly explained to the children and their families. Volunteers used the Legos to create a tree, giraffe, heart, and cross to present the Gospel story. An older man who said he believed in God overhead a volunteer sharing the Gospel with a family at the Truth Pavilion. He spoke up and said he had never heard some of those things before and wanted to know more about this Jesus!
Later that afternoon, a grandmother came up to one of our male volunteers and thanked him for talking to her grandson about the Lord and his need to continue growing in his faith. It meant a lot to her because her grandson lacked a positive male role model in his life.
It was a wonderful day of ministry. We are grateful for the many volunteers who came and served alongside of us for the day and the many other partners who supported us through prayer. The Lord blessed and we are grateful for everyone’s partnership in ministry! May we continue to proclaim, “Jesus is Alive!”