Montrose - Daily Press

MONTROSE  — As the full moon glowed in the western sky and the sun crept over the mountains in the east, several hundred people congregated in remembrance of Jesus’ rising during the annual “Easter Sonrise” service in Montrose.

Christians from all walks of life gathered Sunday around 6:30 a.m. in the lawn outside the Montrose Pavilion for the nondenominational service. Grabbing a cup of hot chocolate, they huddled together in the cold temperatures, sang and prayed.

“It’s the beauty, the full moon and mountains,” said Montrose resident Wanda Dufrene. Though she said she wasn’t dressed warmly enough, the ambience of the morning made her first sunrise service special.

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According to the Christian religion, Easter is a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, three days after his death on the cross. Through his death, burial and resurrection, he paid the price for sin, giving anyone who believes in him everlasting life.

The colder-than-usual temperatures were a result of the earliest Easter in 95 years.

Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

For 14 years in Montrose, locals have come out in all types of weather for the service, co-founder Sylvia Thomas said.

Thomas, with help from others, started the service as an opportunity for all Christians to come together to praise Jesus. The service remains nondenominational because they wanted both church-goers and others to feel welcome.

Each year more community members come out for the service and volunteer to help, donating doughuts, coffee, chairs and their services.

For the past six years, the Christian Motorcycle Association has volunteered, directing parking, setting up and serving hot chocolate and coffee.

“I feel it’s a worthy cause,” CMA member Vern Lake said.

Norm Stevenson, a member of the Easter Sonrise committee, said the service could not be pulled off without the help of the club.

The committee starts planning for the event in October. This year, Christian layman Geoff Ila delivered the message, which was about life’s “race.”

“Our race is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ,” he said.

After, participants could lay their “burdens” in the form of a rock at the base of the cross.

After the service, many headed home to greet family and start cooking, while others changed into their spring Easter clothes and headed to Grace Community Church for some fun.

If area children didn’t fill their baskets Saturday at the community hunt, they had an opportunity at Grace Community Church’s event. Broken down in age groups, children participated in games, races and hunts, all resulting in delicious treats. Each participant was also given a number which entered them into an Ipod  drawing.

Cameras were out, as parents grabbed the excitement on their child’s face when the first egg filled with candy was found.

Alliannah is only 15-months old, but her mother, Andrea Patton, said she loves the people and excitement. And though Alliannah is too young to understand Easter’s meaning, her mom said she’ll explain to her when she’s older that the holiday is about more than just eggs and candy.

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com

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