Easter Morning began early for my family and I,
getting up at 5:00 am, to take part in Walk with Jesus.
Downtown, the program began with a Sunrise Service at 6:30.
Songs, Scripture, and prayers reminded us of the true reason for Easter.
During the service, a 15' cross made of tissue flowers by local children was raised.
After the Sunrise Service, over 1000 people representing 30+ local churches,
from many different denominations, lined the streets of our town.
Shortly after 7:00 am, the streets closed off for three miles,
were transformed into the New Testament of the Bible.
....800,000 letters were handwritten!
15,000 pieces of chalk were passed to participating individuals, and each church or group was given a book of the New Testament to write. Our church wrote the book of Matthew, and our youth group, the book of Ephesians, the recordings taking about an hour or so.
Below, Ashley and Wesley begin writing...
The book of Matthew was recorded in a parking lot right off of the main street.
Writing began even before the sun had fully risen.
Friends and church members of ours, surveying the great project from above...
It was overwhelming to see the sun rise, as we worked...
Ashley still writing...
Bless her heart, she had about the longest passage in our group, 441 words,
and was the last one to finish.
Our church group....
A couple of shots down main street of other churches/groups writing scriptures...
Getting up at 5:00 am was tough, but being a part of Walk with Jesus was indescribable.
It was such a joy to see our community come together as one,
from different denominations and ethnic backgrounds.
As far as is known, this was the first to attempt to write the entire New Testament
on the streets anywhere in the United States.
That afternoon, the entire recordings were washed off, in reverence to The Word.
After church later that day,
we gathered the kids that came over for lunch at my home together for pictures.
My nephew, niece, Ashley, David, and friends...
My Dad and his four grands...
Ashley and Wesley...
And being that no Easter is complete without a hunt...
The kids below check out their loot after the Easter egg hunt.
The evening ended with the
"the big kids," Ashley and Wesley coloring eggs...
So, that's a wrap,
Our Easter 2012 in a nutshell!
On a slight tangent...
the sign below was crafted by the very talented
Purchased two of these, one for my home and one for our church.
I have enjoyed them this Easter season, and everyone loves them!
We do celebrate Easter because He Lives!
Romans 6:8-11
Jesus gave the biggest sacrifice for us,
his life for ours on that cross so many years ago, that we might have life eternal.
That gift is ours for the taking through faith,
it can't be attained by our works, good deeds, or attempt at goodness.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God, not a result of works,
so that no one may boast."
Ephesians 2:8-9
I am so VERY Thankful for that gift and all that Easter stands for! :)
I'm fascinated by this and could just about feel the spirit of the moment as they were writing with the sun rising. What an amazing idea. I do love the sign too and think that it could be used year round and not just at Easter. We do the things we do because He lives and it could be a good reminder. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing day. Whiteville really came together. I had seen some photos of some friend's FB pages, but it was great to get the story on your blog.
ReplyDeleteHope you had a wonderful Easter!
This is amazing what your churches did writing the scriptures! The cross is something too! What a wonderful Easter you had. We went to a sunrise service on the beach and it was wonderful too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)