Dawn’s early light : Easter worshippers enjoy tradition on Mount Sequoyah
Posted on Monday, March 24, 2008
It's been 85 years since the grand opening celebration at the Mount Sequoyah Conference and Retreat Center - then called the charter for the Western Methodist Assembly - and organizers believe there has been an Easter sunrise service held at the top of the mountain ever since.
John Altland, one of the executive directors of the conference and retreat center, said the first programming began at Mount Sequoyah in 1923.
"As far as we know, they've been having the sunrise service every year since then," he said.
Over the years, he said, the crowds have varied in size depending on the weather. A couple of years ago, he said, Easter was in April, the weather was good and there were more than 450 people in attendance.
Last year, the temperature was 17 degrees and there was the threat of sleet and snow. The service was moved into Clapp Auditorium, he said, but people said they had bundled up and prepared for the weather and wanted to have the service outside.
There is something about being outside on the celebration of the Resurrection, Altland said.
"When the wind comes through the trees and the birds are chirping and the full moon is going down, it's really special," he said.
Altland said some families start their day with the early outdoor service and then go on to attend other Easter services.
"It's a tradition for some families," he said. "They make it a part of their family Easter."
On Sunday, about 65 people attended the service, bundled up in hats and scarves to ward off the biting early-morning temperatures.
Sheri Altland, the other executive director of the retreat center, welcomed the crowd and promised higher temperatures for next year's service.
"We have some wonderful news: For the next four years Easter is going to be in April," she said.
Easter is determined based on tables that approximate the astronomical full moon. It is observed on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after the day of the vernal equinox. Next year, Easter will be observed on April 12.
The Rev. Larry Norman, a pastor in Louisiana and a member of the Board of Trustees for Mount Sequoyah, delivered the Easter message as the sun began to peak through the cloud cover.
He talked about the experience of resurrection and gave an example of the evacuees from Hurricane Katrina, who used the Mount Sequoyah campus as temporary homes in 2005.
When they arrived on buses and were provided lodging and food, they experienced resurrection here, Norman said.
"Some part of us has to die in order for resurrection to occur," he said.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
