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Just Because He Lives
St. John’s Easter service attracts 5,000
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June,
2003
By
Tiffany Vail
Many churches add extra services on Easter to accommodate large numbers of worshippers. But few go to the extremes that St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield has undertaken in the last two years.
In 2002, when three Easter services didn’t accommodate the crowds in the church’s 450-seat sanctuary, they rented the city’s 3,000-seat Symphony Hall. They wound up turning people away.
So this year, the church took a leap of faith and rented the Springfield Civic Center for a Resurrection Sunday service that attracted over 5,000 people.
“For us, we believe the crucifixion and resurrection is the height of all that distinguishes what we are as Christians, and it ought to be celebrated in a glorious manner,” said Pastor Howard-John Wesley. “We do it not for our own name, but for the glory of Christ.”
Wesley said when the congregation went to Symphony Hall, it was simply looking for ways to accommodate its own. But the crowd that turned out made them see the evangelistic opportunity before them. That’s why they decided to go bigger this year.
“Right now the calling is ours. Our ministry is the talk of this town. This was an opportunity for people to find out what the 1,300 members of our church have come to realize – that salvation can be found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
After renting the Civic Center, the church wanted to ensure that
large enough numbers of people would come so that it would not
feel empty,
so they brought in Grammy-nominated Gospel singer Dottie Peoples.
The 2-hour, 45-minute service also included the church’s Women
of Faith
Ensemble and Karah liturgical dance troupe, congregational hymn
singing, communion,
and a sermon by Wesley entitled “Just Because He Lives.”
Wesley said that while some people are turned off by the idea of
worship as a large production, others are attracted by the bigness
of it.
“For this generation that we’ve missed, they don’t want to go to church on Easter and have someone say ‘we haven’t seen you since last Easter,’” he said. “Anonymity helps. And, there are good numbers of people who like to be part of something big.”
The $100,000 event was paid for through in-house donations and corporate sponsors, who paid to have their ads placed in the day’s program book. Wesley said he had no problem partnering with businesses, because the church controlled how that played out.
“For corporate sponsors – especially those who would like to target a predominantly African-American crowd – this is where they can show they are invested in the community,” he said.
There was no admission price for attending the event, and it was made clear that guests were not expected to contribute an offering.
“One of our mottos is, ‘no dress code, no cover charge.’ One of the major turnoffs people have to church is they think its all about money,” Wesley said. “We typically don’t raise offerings – we just tell people they can leave something as they go out if they are moved to do so.”
“When you don’t force people, but allow them to grow, they respond,” he said. “Our church is almost 100 percent tithing. Our tithes total a little over $1 million.”
Wesley said the most touching moment of the weekend for him came not on Easter Sunday, but the day before, as 700 members of St. John’s arrived at the civic center for a dress rehearsal.
“We did this almost entirely in-house,” Wesley said. “This is such a tremendous church mobilizer. I recommend that every church have a major event at least once a year. Everyone wants to be part of something big.”
Meanwhile, the church itself keeps getting bigger. Founded in 1890, the church has now added a Saturday service to its two Sunday offerings to accommodate everyone. The congregation has raised the funds to buy – with cash – three residential and two commercial properties totaling two acres across the street from the current location, where they plan to build a new, 2,000-seat sanctuary.
“It cost us an arm and a leg to buy in the inner city. But our decision was that our church is in the inner city, not in the suburbs somewhere,” Wesley said.
The church has committed to relocate the families displaced by the purchases, and then plans to demolish the existing structures in 2004. They hope to start construction in 2005 and finish in time for Palm Sunday, 2006.
Meanwhile, Wesley said, the church will continue the Resurrection Sunday tradition that it has started.
“It has become a community event,” he said. “I don’t want to stop now and have anyone say that we aren’t able to do it. Doing something like this shows churches are able to do more than people traditionally think they are able to do.”
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The Women of Faith Ensemble from St. John’s Congregational Church in Springfield sing Just Because He Lives on Easter Sunday at the Springfield Civic Center. Photo by Mieke Zuiderweg. April 25, 2003 The Republican Company. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission. |