FH celebrates Easter with Sunrise Service, children's egg hunt

By Gabrielle KuholskiApril 28, 2014

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2 / 6 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Pictured in the foreground, from left, Praise Team members Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Ludwig; Sgt. 1st Class Joe Riddle, Company D, 2-13th Aviation Regiment; Kylie Lemelin; Sgt. 1st Class Andre Clovis, Intelligence Electronic Warfare Test Directorate, U.S... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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The Religious Support Team and an estimated crowd of 400 celebrated Easter on Sunday with a 6:30 a.m. sunrise service on Fort Huachuca's Reservoir Hill. It was a worship, music and fellowship event dedicated to the resurrection of Jesus.

According to Chaplain (Capt.) Bruce Duty, chaplain resource manager, the Easter Sunrise Service was a team effort.

"As far as the leadership up [on stage] goes, we represented as many areas as we could," Duty explained. "We tried to represent the whole post."

Soldiers and Civilians from Network Enterprise Technology Command; U.S. Army Installation Management Command; 40th Expeditionary Signal Battalion and several military intelligence battalions participated.

Music was provided by the Military Intelligence Corps Band and the Praise Team, a group consisting of guitarists, singers, and a percussionist. Linda Brown, NETCOM, sang a solo a cappella, "Sweet Little Jesus Boy," which tied into the sermon given by Chaplain (Col.) Samuel "Ken" Godfrey, garrison chaplain.

Titled "Recognizing the Risen Jesus," Godfrey's sermon carried the message that "our lives and the world would be changed if we recognized the risen Jesus." His sermon described Jesus as God's picture and reality, message and presence, and gift of love. Godfrey explained Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind.

"I was thinking about how the cross is such a perfect symbol … that Jesus stretched out on the cross on Good Friday, stretched between Earth and Heaven, represents that He was that mediator that could lay his hand both on God, because He was God, and could lay his hand on you and me as humans because he was human," he said.

Godfrey concluded with another Easter story lesson, "What God Begins in us He is able to Complete."

"I think the message was very good. I think [Chaplain Godfrey] made an effort to convey the story of Easter and the resurrection," said Chaplain (Capt.) John Arnoldbik, 304th Military Intelligence Battalion.

Following the Easter Sunrise Service, attendees were invited to stay for refreshments of coffee, water, doughnuts and fruit.

Later that morning, Families gathered in the courtyard of the Main Post Chapel for an Easter egg hunt. Before children could collect any eggs, they watched a presentation by Nicole Bragg, protestant education coordinator.

Bragg read the Robert Frost poem, "Nothing Gold Can Stay" and conducted a science experiment relating to Jesus' blood and the forgiveness of sins. Bragg used cups with different color-changing liquids to narrate her story of the make-believe character "Goldie" and how she changed colors due to sin and later, forgiveness.

After the presentation, children rushed with anticipation to collect the colorful plastic eggs scattered throughout the courtyard. Each child was allowed to keep up to 10 eggs. Refreshments were also provided for Families inside the MPC Activity Room.