5,000 Gather for Easter at CSUN Stadium

On a sunny but windy Sunday morning, more than 5,000 people, gathered at the Cal State University stadium for Easter services sponsored by Shepherd of the Hills Church.

Even four of the university’s coaches, who belong to the congregation, were on hand to welcome worshipers.

“I think we just broke the attendance record,” football Coach Ron Ponciano said, welcoming the crowd.

People began arriving at the CSUN football stadium about an hour prior to the 10:30 a.m. service. The festival-style environment featured a large screen at the northwest end of the stadium for projected images of speakers and performers. Loud speakers amplified gospel music sung by the church’s 100-member choir for the audience seated on the field.

“To have [the Easter service] here is very special,” said Bobby Braswell, the men’s basketball coach at CSUN. “It’s special to have an opportunity to pray and profess my faith in Jesus Christ where I work.”

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Another worshiper, Doris Nelson, 78, said she was so caught up in the service, she didn’t even notice the brisk breeze.

“I didn’t even think about the wind,” Nelson said. “I was so excited to be here.”

Shepherd of the Hills, with a congregation of about 3,000 in Porter Ranch, is one of the largest churches in the San Fernando Valley. The congregation is divided up for three services on Saturdays and Sundays.

In past years, the church rented a giant tent to accommodate the whole congregation for a single Easter service on the church’s grounds on Rinaldi Street near Tampa Avenue.

This year, however, organizers wanted a bigger venue for the congregation and other community members. The church spent about $40,000 on such expenses as publicizing the service in newspapers, mailing 35,000 fliers, hiring security for the event and providing a continental breakfast.

“We wanted to invite the entire San Fernando Valley to this service,” said Rev. Dudley Rutherford, the church’s pastor. “Hopefully their hearts will be touched . . . and they will go back and find a church.”

Shepherd of the Hills’ yearly Easter celebration also includes the musical production “Passion Play,” which concluded this weekend.

Ponciano and Braswell as well as baseball Coach Mike Batesole and assistant track coach Jeff McAuley spoke to the crowd.

Rutherford’s sermon focused on the reality of death, listing people who have died in the past year ranging from such world-famous figures as Princess Diana to Emmanuel Jimenez, the 12-year-old Van Nuys boy killed by a car while riding a bicycle earlier this month.

“You’re going to pick up the paper and read about me or I’m going to pick up the paper and read about you,” he said.

But the message of Easter--on which Christians celebrate Christ’s conquest of death--is the promise of an afterlife, Rutherford said.

“If Jesus has dominion over death,” he said, “then, ladies and gentlemen, we have hope when we die.”

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The service also included performances by two professional entertainers who are members of Shepherd of the Hills--singer Blake Ewing, 13, an Ovation nominee for his role as the young boy in the musical “Ragtime,” and Cindy Herron of the pop group En Vogue.

After the two-hour service, people hurried toward the parking lot.

“The music was great,” said Ray Johnston, 36, who came with his 3-year-old daughter. “You need an uplifting experience like this at least once a year.”

Said Herron: “I’m really proud of all the people who came forward [to pray] . . . this is a perfect way to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.”