On Saturday April 4, our Fellowship was filled with the buzz of anticipation! Easter- the resurrection of our Lord Jesus- was approaching. This anticipation spawns other celebrations throughout the week, and one of these celebrations is our annual Easter Egg Hunt. About 244 kids attended… and they brought their parents which resulted in almost 500 people joining in on the celebration.
What’s an Easter Egg Hunt at PUMC?
Preparation…
For members of PUMC, the Egg Hunt is a time of preparation. Just as we prepared for Easter by looking at the Cross and the Seven Final Words of Christ on the Cross, getting ready for the Easter Egg Hunt took some work ahead of time. 
Members spread the word, purchased food, donated plastic eggs, contributed candy and spread the word. On the Thursday before the big day, the Elderberries stuffed the eggs with candy and a slip of paper welcoming Egg Hunters to our church.
Lots of eggs were stuffed. Lots of candy. Lots of paper inserts. Lots of plastic eggs. If you’re into statistics, we prepared 7166 eggs!
Entertainment and Some Family Time…
If you’re a kid, the Easter Egg hunt a bit of everything! First you get a chance to decorate your own “Hunting Bag.” But if you’re not the artistic type who loves to dabble in glitter and glue, you could leave the undecorated bag with your mom or dad and turn your attention elsewhere.
Decorating bags
Pastor Jim Helps out
After everyone had their “Hunting Bags” in hand, the magician took the stage to demonstrate that the “hand is sometimes quicker than the eye…” The magician, Ed Pietrzak (Magic by Ed) held the egg hunter’s interests. He was also able to address Pastor Jim’s concern by pulling out a great Easter Sermon out of his hat…
Magician Ed Pietrzak entertains the crowd
Pastor Jim assists
Eggcitment on the Church Lawn!
While all of this was going on inside, PUMC members were on the outside planting all of those 7166 eggs behind a yellow caution taped area next to our parking lot…
7166 eggs take up a lot of ground!
Ready for discovery
And then… the moment everyone was waiting for- like the crack of a starting pistol at a race, everyone (sorry mom & dad- kids got to go first)- was allowed to dash out into the church grounds to find the eggs. Hunters were limited to 10 eggs, so everyone had a chance. After the kids had gathered their quota, the adults were allowed to go out and look for the harder to find eggs.
So What’s it All Mean???
Easter Eggs??? What’s that got to do with the celebration of our Risen Lord? Here are a few thoughts…
- Resurrection Day is Joyous! What better way to observe this special event than to introduce the joy and excitement of children?
- Resurrection Day is a gift to be opened! God offers us a tremendous gift of life. As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.“
- Eggs symbolize life and fresh beginnings. That’s what God offers us!
Within each egg was a reminder of these true gifts of God along with an invitation to listen to a welcome message. Here are some of the “sentence sermons” that were included in each egg…
Welcome Message
Life with God! Now THAT’S true Eggcitement!!!
