In the darkness of 4 a.m. each Easter morning, thousands of people begin their ascent to the 825-foot summit of Stone Mountain to watch the sun rise and celebrate their belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Some make the 1.3-mile hike up the granite rock; others take the sky lift. Many who can’t brave the mountain for whatever reason instead congregate below for another service.
This is the 67th year that people are gathering at this spot to greet the arrival of Easter. We talked with the Rev. Jim Lancaster, 69, about why. Lancaster is chairman of the Sunrise Service Association, as well as a pastor and missionary with Stone Mountain Ministries.
Q: How did the sunrise service get started?
A: A lady named Lucille Lanford from Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church took her youth group to the top of the mountain back in 1944. They went up there and watched the sun come up and had their Sunday school. It has just blossomed from there.
Q: How many people attend the service now?
A: Oh, golly — in the area of 3,000 to 4,000. Some people come from all over the world.
Q: What churches are involved?
A: Right now, primarily the First United Methodist Church, Stone Mountain First Baptist Church and Smoke Rise Baptist Church, with some support from Stone Mountain Ministries. Next year we hope to involve more churches.
Q: The services are nondenominational, right?
A: Yes, but our goal is to preach the gospel message from the Bible.
Q: What are the readings?
A: Acts 10:34-43 and John 20: 1-18. Of course, they have to do with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Through the ages, people have given up their life for that. And that is what many people have banked their lives and hope on for eternal salvation.
Q: Are there non-Christians who come?
A: I am positive there will be non-Christians there.
Q: What would draw them to this service?
A: I am sure some of their families asked them to come. Easter is a widely known event that changed the world. It is quite a moving experience to go to the top of the mountain and see the sun come up and hear the gospel.
Q: Do you expect to make some believers out those nonbelievers?
A: I hope that people who do hear the gospel message will take a moment to reflect and invite Jesus Christ into their lives.
Q: You must draw an ethnically diverse crowd, very different from those of early years?
A: I can’t say what it was like early on. Last year, we had pretty much anyone you could think of. Everybody comes and everybody and anybody is welcome.
Q: Do you think being on top of the mountain brings a person closer to God?
A: I can’t say for sure, but that is what some people say. If you look at the Bible, Jesus and others went to the mountaintop to hear God.
- The Sunday conversation is edited for length and clarity.
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