Community Easter egg hunt set for this Saturday
♦ Area churches have special events scheduled throughout Holy Week.
The 25th annual community- wide Easter egg hunt is set for noon Saturday at Coosa Valley Fairgrounds.
The free event is sponsored by Greater Christ Temple Rapture Preparation Cathedral, which is across the street from the fairgrounds on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Rome.
Bishop Nealon Guthrie said they’ll be filling more than 1,500 plastic eggs for the hunt, which attracts hundreds of kids and their families. Guthrie said they’ll also be giving out prizes, including “gold dollars,” and there will be live music.
The Easter egg hunt has been a traditional cap to local Holy Week activities celebrated at churches around the county. They started Sunday with Palm Sunday observances marking the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
Here’s a look at some of the special offerings throughout the week:
Second Avenue Baptist Church, 823 E. Second Ave., will host community Holy Week services with visiting pastors from area churches at noon daily through Wednesday.
Greater Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 445 E. 14th St., will have spring revival with the Rev. James Baker of Macon at 7 p. m. nightly through Thursday.
♦ Thursday is Maundy Thursday, commemorating Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his disciples.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1941 Shorter Ave., will hold a service at 7 p. m.
During a 7 p. m. service at Covenant Presbyterian Church EPC, 1645 Cartersville Highway, attendees will be invited to “nail their sins to the cross.”
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 911 N. Broad St., will celebrate a bilingual service at 7: 30 p. m. followed by Adoration from 8 p. m. to midnight.
♦ Friday is Good Friday, often marked with Tenebrae, a word meaning “darkness.” During the service, candles are extinguished as the story of the Crucifixion is read.
A service is scheduled for 7 p. m. at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1941 Shorter Ave.
Rome First United Methodist Church, 202 E. Third Ave., will present “Tenebrae: A Service of Darkness” by Hal H. Hopson at 7 p. m. with the Rome First Chancel choir and soloists.
The nave of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, 42 Ash St., will be open at 5: 45 p. m. for Stations of the Cross, with service at 6: 30 p. m.
Good Friday services at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 911 N. Broad St., include Stations of the Cross and the Last Seven Words at 3 p. m. and a bilingual Liturgy of the Cross at 7 p. m.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 101 E. Fourth Ave., will hold Easter Vigil at 9 p. m.
♦ On Saturday, Pleasant Valley North Baptist Church, 735 Old Summerville Road, will have an Easter egg hunt with over 5,000 eggs at noon. A hot- dog lunch will precede the egg hunt.
A bilingual Easter Vigil will be at 8: 30 p. m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 911 N. Broad St.
♦ Easter Sunday marks the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
Activities at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 3000 Garden Lakes Blvd., include breakfast at 9 a. m., egg hunt at 10 a. m. and celebration of the Resurrection at 10: 30 a. m.
St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, 42 Ash St., will celebrate with a 9: 30 a. m. service followed by an egg hunt.
Rush Chapel Church, 1225 Rush Chapel Road, will hold Easter sunrise service at 7 a. m. followed by breakfast.
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 101 E. Fourth Ave., will hold services at 9: 15 a. m. and 11 a. m. with breakfast and children’s egg hunt between services.
Silver Creek Presbyterian Church, 6 Old Rockmart Road, Lindale, will have sunrise worship service at 7 a. m. A pancake and sausage breakfast prepared by the men of the church will follow.