Burns Flat, Saturday, 4 April 10 a.m.
The sun was shining and the breeze was light, quite the
blessing of great weather for
hunting
plastic Easter Eggs. Much planning
had taken place under the chairmanship of Heather Spence as she coordinated
supplies, helpers, and people just to walk around and tell others that God
loves them.
By 10:00 a.m. this past Saturday morning, leaders were
walking groups of children out to their respective starting points for the
Community
Easter Egg Hunt that originated in the late 1980’s with the United
Methodist Church in Burns Flat, was quickly transferred to the Chamber of
Commerce, and last year was adopted as a mission of the Burns Flat Cumberland
Presbyterian Church.
The children that arrived were not much interested in the
history of the event but the two acres of colored eggs got their attention
right away. Following a prayer by
Tom Spence and a
briefing by Heather Spence, guides took their groups to their assigned areas
and hunting began shortly after 10:00 a.m.
Some hunted fast and some took their time but with almost
2000 eggs scattered across the acreage, every child found plenty of eggs. That translated into plenty of candy, tickets
to pick gifts or candy from the “Bunny Basket,” hamburgers, pizzas, and soft
drinks courtesy of Rudy’s and Gret’s, as well as some dollar coins, colorful
erasers, and GOD LOVES YOU – LOVE ONE ANOTHER wristbands.
There were of course prize baskets and hollow chocolate
bunnies and all of the stuff that has become associated with modern day Easter
Egg Hunts; but there were also erasers shaped like a cross, Golden Books of
Prayers for Children,
God Loves
You books, children and adult Bibles, and a gospel of John for every person
that walked on the property, and many other prizes that said, “Easter is about
so much more than the Easter Bunny can do for you.”
There were a few stickers in the field, fewer now as some
participants took some home with them, but children and adults found the
occasional thorn to be worth the trip.
There are many people and businesses and groups to thank for
making today’s event a success. The
Cumberland
Presbyterian Church committed last April to adopting this event so the
question of “Will there be anyone to sponsor this?” was answered a year ago and
the church primed the well with a healthy contribution.
MODA, Great Plains National Bank, and Washita State Bank
were early contributors. Rudy’s and
Gret’s contributed just before the event, and at the very last minute, Walmart
of Elk City donated some bicycles to the community, one of which was put up for
a special type of drawing.
Neither children nor adults could enter themselves or their
own children. All were asked to think of
another child who could use a bike but could not afford it. Entries were for another child to be blessed
by the blessing that the church had received from Walmart. Initially, there was only a girl’s bike
available, but at the last minute; Tony Dorman of Burns Flat donated a boy’s
bike.
Winners were drawn at 10:45 a.m. and will be announced upon
delivery to the children.
That’s good news on top of a wonderful event. The church encouraged all to
worship God
Sunday morning in one of our community churches.
FAQs
How many people came
to the event?
Over 200 Gospels of John were given away and some families
only took one copy for the entire family.
Best guess is about 250 people counting parents and helpers.
Will the church
sponsor this even next year?
The plan has been to adopt this event, so the answer is most
likely YES! Should another group desire
to take on this event, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church would certainly be
willing to discuss passing the torch, but only if that group has a passion for
such endeavors.
Will there be
stickers next year?
Between spraying and mowing the church is working to
eliminate as many as possible, but this is Oklahoma and those pesky burrs put
up a good fight.
Do I have to be a
member to come to worship at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church?
Absolutely NOT!!!!
You are most welcome to worship at the CPC. You will also find that the other churches in
Burns Flat will welcome all who seek God and his kingdom.
What is the church’s
position on the Easter Bunny?
Let’s start with the hollow chocolate ones first. Our position is that we eat those “ears
first.” Enjoy the festivities of this
part of this special day, but know with certainty that you were bought at a
price. That price was the blood of
Jesus. He lived and died as a man. He had to struggle with dying a terrible
death nailed to a cross. He endured as
much pain and anguish as you or I would.
But now he is at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for
us. That means that he knows what it is
to live as a flesh and blood person. He
has literally felt our pain and so much more.
He died out of love for us.
So eat the bunnies and the Peeps and all the chocolate eggs
that you want, but know in your heart that this special day is about a love
that goes beyond what we can imagine.
God is love and we know God in the person of Jesus.
The weather cooperated and more than 150 egg hunters arrived
from places near and far, mostly near, as over 5,000 colored eggs full of candy
and prizes awaited children up to the age of 12. Supplies were gathered and eggs were stuffed
in the weeks preceding the event. At
8:30 on Saturday morning, over a dozen volunteers under the direction of
Missions Team Leader Heather Spence assembled at the Cumberland Presbyterian
Church and distributed the eggs into four age specific sections.
