Fine weather helped to draw one of the largest crowds in years to the top of Stone Mountain for the 78th annual Easter Sunday sunrise service.
Park officials estimated that more than 3,000 people attended the hour-long event, which began at 7 a.m. as a peachy glow spread across metro Atlanta.
By then, throngs of people had walked just over a mile or hopped in a gondola car to get to the top of the mountain, many armed with blankets and camp chairs. They spread across the exposed rock facing east, clutching hot drinks and cellphones, primed to take photographs of the lightening sky.
A large illuminated cross positioned on the mountaintop was a beacon for attendees as they waited for the service to begin. Some knelt at the base of the cross and prayed. Many took photographs with it, while the sounds of bells and music emanated from nearby speakers.
Sharon and Luther Brown were on the first Summit Skyride lift up the mountain at 4 a.m. They said the mountaintop service, first held in 1944, had been on their bucket list. The couple, from Warner Robins in middle Georgia, had decided to spend the weekend at Stone Mountain Park.
“It was nice to check it off the bucket list,” Sharon Brown said of the service. “I would definitely do it again. I would just bring a chair and heavy blankets. Definitely layer up, all the way down to the ankles.”
A moderate breeze of around 21 miles per hour atop the mountain made for a chilly service, though a few attendees were dressed for the warm temperatures expected Sunday afternoon.
The service was one of several held at sunrise across the metro to mark the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion. Easter Sunday is a principal holiday for Christians. In addition to the interdenominational service atop Stone Mountain, park officials held a simultaneous service at the base of the mountain.
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
Dr. Crawford Loritts, the president and founder of Beyond Our Generation, began his message by acknowledging the large crowd gathered on the mountaintop.
“I’m absolutely blown away there’s so many of you here early this morning,” he said, before speaking about Jesus’ death.
Retired pastor Bryant Wright, the founder and chairman of Right From The Heart Ministries, followed with a message about Jesus’ resurrection, which he described as “the greatest and ultimate victory in all of history.” He said Jesus predicted five times that he would be killed and would rise from the dead.
Wright cited the 1969 prediction of New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath that his AFL team would win Super Bowl III against the heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, the NFL champion team. Namath, like Jesus, would have been labeled a fool had he been wrong, Wright said.
“Nobody believed it, but the Jets upset the Colts,” Wright said. “That’s chicken feed compared to what Jesus did. He did rise from the dead. So this morning, as we’re watching the sun rise, as we celebrate, think with me a moment about why this is the greatest victory in all of history. We are reminded by the resurrection of Jesus Christ that nothing is impossible with God.”
Credit: Ben Gray
Credit: Ben Gray
Atlanta real estate developer J.D. Kellum was among those attending the mountaintop service for the first time. He said he woke up at 5 a.m. and decided then to join the crowd, having “always wanted to.”
“To me, it represents hope,” Kellum said of Easter Sunday.
Roman Valasiuk, a member of the Calvary Russian Baptist Church in Alpharetta, hiked up Stone Mountain with his brother and three of their children for the service, which they watched from near the front of the crowd. Valasiuk, who has made the trek annually since about 2006, said they got to the base of the mountain around 5:45 a.m. in order to secure a parking spot.
“It’s still dark when you walk up,” he said. “You can see the city lights. We just enjoy everything, not just the sunrise.”
It was the youth group of Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church that started the Easter Sunday tradition on top of the mountain, prompted by congregant Lucille A. Lanford.
People of all ages took part in Sunday’s mountaintop service, which included a sign language interpreter.
“Park officials said it was one of the largest Easter Sunrise gatherings in years,” Stone Mountain Park stated in a media release.
