Open Arms Church plans to hold its annual Easter services at both its Bradford and Port Allegany campuses on April 4.
The Bradford campus, located at 1289 E. Main St., Bradford, will hold two services at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., while the Port Allegany campus at 105 Smith Ave., Port Allegany, will host three services at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. These will be preceded by a live sunrise prayer, broadcast from the Open Arms Facebook page at 7 a.m.
After plans for a 2020 Easter event at Bradford Area High School were scrapped in favor of a livestreamed service due to the then new COVID-19 pandemic, Open Arms pastor Zoe Hatcher said that the church is excited by the opportunity to gather and celebrate in person this year.
“The past year has taught us to worship in new and creative ways,” Hatcher said. “We are filled with gratefulness to God for bringing us through this trying time.”
Hatcher acknowledged that the pandemic has not yet ended, however, and said that the church is taking steps to mitigate the spread of the virus. Guests and staff will be required to wear face masks upon entering and exiting the building, and are asked to maintain a minimum distance of six feet from those with whom they do not share a household. A group of volunteers will also be cleaning commonly touched surfaces before, during, and after services.
Hatcher says she thinks the Easter story may be especially resonant this year.
“Sometimes it feels like the world is falling apart,” she said. “Chaos and darkness are all around us. It’s not hard to imagine the friends of Jesus feeling the same way after their hero was executed and buried in the ground. ‘Where do we go from here?’ And that’s where the story changes: from death to life. There is hope for all of us because of what happened on that first Easter Sunday.”
The Bradford campus will provide a free bus service for those who wish to attend, with stops at the following times and locations: Barbour Street near the public housing across from the VFW, 10:30; Marylin Horne across from Veterans Square, 10:35; Tops entrance, 10:40 and Togis, 10:45 am.
For more information, see openarmseaster.com, or call the Braford church office at 814-368-8846 or the Port Allegany church office at 814-642-1636.
