Christians Welcome Easter With the Dawn

The start of daylight saving time didn’t deter Ojai Valley Community Church parishioners from getting up before the sun on Sunday.

Wearing ski caps, scarves and sweaters, they came out in droves to stand near the water for the second annual Easter Sunrise Service at Lake Casitas.

Their hands wrapped around cups of steaming hot chocolate or coffee, couples cuddled together under flannel blankets and wool coats, and children fiddled in their folding chairs, impatient to gobble sprinkled doughnuts.

And while Pastor Paul Bergmann read his sermon to the crowd of nearly 200, reeds of tall grass rippled in cold gusts of wind, and the water sparkled with the first rays of Easter sun.

Churches throughout Ventura County held Easter services at sunrise Sunday to symbolize the early morning resurrection of Jesus as recounted in the Bible. The sunrise is compared to the rising of Christ, because that was the time of day when Jesus’ tomb was found to be empty, Bergmann said.

While the choir sang, he passed out blankets to his parishioners and asked if they were keeping warm. Bryce Conahey, 9, pulled his sleeping bag up over his mouth, leaving only the top of his head uncovered.

“I’m freezing,” he mumbled through the zipper. “I think it’s crazy being out here in the wind.”

Easter morning temperatures in Ventura County ranged from the upper 30s to the upper 40s, and the winds were 15 to 25 mph, according to meteorologist Scott Breit of WeatherData Inc., which provides forecasts for The Times. Today will be partly cloudy and slightly warmer, with highs in the low to mid-60s, and tonight should be mostly cloudy, with showers developing after dark.

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At least the Conahey family didn’t have to travel too far, said the youngest son, Kevin, 7. The boys and their parents spent the night camping at Lake Casitas in preparation for the service at dawn.

Their mother, Janine, said she was looking forward to celebrating Easter this year, because she recently underwent neck surgery. “I thank God that I’m still alive,” she said.

Like Conahey, numerous Christians think of Easter as a time to start anew. Bergmann’s sermon focused on change--erasing the past and starting on a fresh path toward the future.

And for many Christians that path begins long before Easter. This year, believers around the world started observing the season on Feb. 17, Ash Wednesday. That day marked the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent, when many people deny themselves something, such as television or sweets, as a way of repenting and reflecting.

Then came Palm Sunday, March 28, when Christians reenact Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem by blessing palm fronds and singing hymns. And Christians observed Good Friday on April 2, remembering Jesus’ death on the cross.

Ojai resident Martin Young said Easter has special significance this year because of the fighting and hardship in Kosovo.

“You can’t help but watch the refugees streaming out,” Young said. “So it’s our chance to come out and think about what we have and what they don’t have, and to pray for them.”

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At Moorpark United Methodist Church, Pastor Rick Uhls delivered an early morning sermon to a smaller crowd of about 20 parishioners.

Uhls said many of the people in his congregation have loved ones in the armed services and are concerned about the danger in the region. During his sermon, Uhls stressed that despite the violence, there is still hope.

“There is a lot of concern that we’re looking at a time when we are repeating the mistakes of the world’s past,” Uhls said shortly after the service. “Hopefully something will be done to stop it without too much bloodshed. I try to emphasize that even in the midst of death, God brings a promise of life.”

He said even on the first Easter morning, most people were distraught over Jesus’ death. But a few of his followers were joyful because they learned of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave, he said.

Uhls tried to help his congregation appreciate the experience of moving from death to life, as they went from the cold, predawn darkness outside to the warm and festive sanctuary inside.

In Oxnard, about 50 people came to a celebratory sunrise service at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, which had a sanctuary decorated with butterfly balloons. Senior Pastor Alan Gorsline said butterflies, like eggs, symbolize resurrection.

“I tell the congregation that the resurrection wasn’t just for Jesus,” Gorsline said. “It’s also for us. Every time I look at the congregation, I see people struggling and in need of hope and help. This is a time to pray for them and offer them that.”

And in Thousand Oaks, the Rev. Irma Oestmann led her Unity Center Church congregation in meditation and told them the story of Easter.

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After the outdoor service, children hunted for colorful plastic eggs at Old Meadows Park. Though only about 15 people came to the 7 a.m. service, Oestmann said the view, the music and the atmosphere were “absolutely magnificent.”

“It was beautiful watching the sun come up over the mountain and through the oak trees,” she said. “Everyone felt inspired, and I was totally rewarded.”

Caitlin Andrews of Ojai attended the sunrise service at Lake Casitas with her 11-year-old daughter, Lindsay.

Andrews said, even after losing an hour to daylight saving time, she got up at 5 a.m. and woke her daughter at 5:30 to make it to the service. By the time the program was over, they were ready for a nap.

“We’ll probably go home and see what the Easter bunny left, and then go back to sleep,” Andrews said.