'Out in beautiful creation' at Easter sunrise service

As the sun rose over Cape County Park North, dozens of worshipers gathered to celebrate the Christian holy day of Easter.

The sunrise service, hosted by Cape Bible Chapel and City Church, was a way to try to experience what it would have been like for Jesus’ early followers to realize he had risen from the dead, according to City Church pastor Matt McDonald.

He said Cape Bible Chapel started hosting the sunrise service two years ago and, this third year, invited City Church to join.

“Him raising from the dead, it gives us hope that we can be forgiven of our sins, that we can be saved, one day, from death itself,” McDonald said.

He said a foundational doctrine of the faith is believing one day “Jesus will return and conquer death completely.”

“So Easter is a reminder that the story is not over and that we’re still waiting for it, the end of the story of the Bible,” McDonald said.

City Church parishioner Mac Davenport of Jackson is a regular churchgoer, but said this was his first sunrise service.

“It’s really cool. I mean, the fact that we can worship as the sun rises. And, you know, it’s like the new morning,” Davenport said. “It’s a really cool experience.”

Cape Bible Chapel parishioner Jan Anderson of Cape Girardeau said she came to the sunrise service because she loves “Jesus Christ and what he has done for me.”

She said she has been to several sunrise services in the past.

“It’s such a special time to just rejoice in the resurrection of Christ and to be out in beautiful creation,” Anderson said about the sunrise service. “It’s just a great way to start the day.”

Nick Frese of Cape Girardeau, who said he has attended both Cape Bible Chapel and City Church, came to the service with his wife and two children.

“Our kids wake up at 5:30, so we’re like, ‘We might as well go now,’” Frese said with a laugh. “It’s fun to come out and experience the service in a different environment. It doesn’t have to be in a building.”

jwiegand@semissourian.com

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