First Posted: 3/30/2015
LIMA — With Easter right around the corner, many churches in the area and across the country will be having Easter egg hunts this weekend. While not Biblical, the events offer churches a unique opportunity to reach out to the community.
The Easter egg hunt at Alger Assembly of God has a long tradition.
“They’ve been doing this before I came here,” said the Rev. Mark Andreasen, head pastor at the church. “It’s probably been decades, maybe 20 or 30 years.”
Last year, Andreasen said they had around 700 people register for the hunt.
“We usually run around 100 people on a Sunday morning,” he said, “so the majority of those that come are not church members.”
The church is planning to put out 10,000 eggs this year.
“On Easter Sunday,” said Andreasen, “we have another hunt and put out another thousand.”
Lora Szuch, children’s ministry director at Lima Baptist Temple, said she was surprised at how many people turned up last year for the church’s first Easter egg hunt.
“We had about 200 families,” she said. “That was about twice as many as I was expecting. I’d say 85 percent of those were non-church people.”
Last year, Szuch said they put out 1,000 eggs — but it was not nearly enough.
“We’ll put out about 6,000 eggs this year,” she said.
Nicole Sweeney, the kidz church leader at Calvary Chapel of Praise, said the church has done a hunt for four years. Last year, there were at least 400 attendees, with about two-thirds of those being non-church people.
She said they plan to put out at least 3,500 eggs and expect to have more people this year.
Each church has a little different way of doing their hunts. Alger First Assembly, with its long history, has gotten its Easter egg hunt down to a science. It has multiple hunts for all age groups, from toddlers to seniors.
“We have two big squares roped off,” said Andreasen. “We have people from an age group line up around the perimeter, we share a devotional, and then they go and hunt. Then, while that area is being prepared again, another age group hunts in the other square.”
The eggs have an assortment of candy and small items but some have prize coupons.
“We have well over 1,000 prizes,” said Andreasen. The hunt usually lasts from 10 a.m. until noon, although registration begins at 9 a.m.
Szuch said their first year was a learning year.
“We are going to do things differently this year,” she said, “because last year we didn’t have registration and there was really no way of following up with people who had questions.”
Last year, they started in a small chapel area in the church where they had crafts, face painting and games. They told the Easter story and allowed the kids out to hunt eggs.
Sweeney said the event opens 15 minutes ahead of time for registration. Everyone then meets in the main sanctuary where they watch a skit and sing songs. The real story of Easter is presented before door prizes are given and rules are explained.
Once the air horn blows, the kids are out on the lawn looking for eggs.
All three church leaders said the main reason they have the events is as an outreach for the community.
“We do bring in the community this way,” said Sweeney. “We are also able to minister to them and present the resurrection story and the Gospel. There have definitely been some salvations.”
Szuch added, “For us, it is an opportunity to share the true Easter story with the children and their families. We also get to invite them to our Easter service. It is a chance for them to get familiar with our church and the buildings. I think that it is more comfortable to come back if you are familiar with a place.”
For Andreasen, not only do they get to share the Easter story, but it is a way to show their concern for the community.
“The main purpose,” he said, “is we desire to demonstrate and show the love of God in a practical way. It’s not a revival service or an Easter service. It’s a small way to show the community how we as believers have been changed by the hope found in Christ.”
Each church leader said the results are worth the effort.
“Just seeing happy children is a reward,” said Sweeney. “Seeing a child raise their hand that they accepted Christ and seeing families being blessed is rewarding. If we are able to plant one seed, it is well worth it.”
Easter egg hunts
• Alger Assembly of God, 7050 State Route 235, Alger
10 a.m. Saturday. Registration at 9 a.m.
All ages
• Lima Baptist Temple, 982 Brower Road, Lima
10:30 a.m. Saturday
Age 3 to fifth grade
• Calvary Chapel of Praise, 1601 Rebecca Drive, Lima
1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Registration at 12:45 p.m.
Ages 12 and under
• Living Hope Assembly of God, 1130 Indiana Ave., St. Marys
11:15 a.m. Sunday balloon release, followed by egg hunt
All ages
• Optimist Club presents at Waterworks Park, South Clay Street, Delphos
1 p.m. Saturday
Ages 2 to 9, with different areas for different ages
• Smiley Park, Van Wert
10 a.m. Saturday
Ages birth to 10, with different areas for different ages
• Fireman’s Park, Ohio City
Noon Saturday
Ages 12 and younger
For dogs
• Smiley Park, Van Wert
11 a.m. Saturday
Eggs filled with dog treats. Dogs must be on leash. Donations to Van Wert County Humane Society.
