20 Apr Easter Story: Heidlersburg, Pa.

Craig Loewen, senior pastor, Heidlersburg/Mt. Olivet charge (Pennsylvania)

Our Easter Sunday began with our Easter Sunrise Service at 7:00 a.m. and was shared with St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. St. Mark’s and Mt. Olivet (Adams County) are small churches, but our attendance was 87, which is the best we’ve ever had.

Afterward, we all enjoyed a communal breakfast at the Heidlersburg Fire Hall with food provided by the Heidlersburg UB Church and prepared by Fire Hall volunteers.

Mt. Olivet enjoyed a full church with lots of special music in a service that combined both the worship and sunday school hour.

Heidlersburg also enjoyed special music provided by the congregation and a special dramatic monologue provided by Cindy Conley of York Springs. The attendance broke all previous records with 144 people present.

It is my personal goal to use the Easter services and the upcoming Christmas services with even more of a directed, proactive purpose fulfilling each of the five strategies as expressed in Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Church.