Plano Church Taking Easter Services To The Ballpark
PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - This Easter weekend, St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano is going big -- really big.
"We knew there was no way to do Easter on our campus so we had to come up with something creative," said Rev. Arthur Jones
With North Texas still reporting hundreds of new COVID-19 cases daily, the church booked Dr Pepper ballpark in Frisco for its services this year.
"I think it awesome," said church member Forrest Pool. "The weather's beautiful and we're just excited to be out here."
Easter Sunday normally draws a crowd of thousands.
At the ballpark, they have the space to spread out. Every other row is blocked off, and church members are being asked to wear masks.
It's a whole lot different from last Easter, when the church's doors were closed by the pandemic.
"I remember sitting at home watching Easter on TV," said Pool.
"Last year, we had nobody in the sanctuary except a handful of staff," said Jones.
The church is still streaming services online but resumed meeting in person last fall.
Jones, though, wanted to take extra measures to bring people together for Easter.
"People need it. They need the community – and we found people need hope and something actually to do to celebrate their faith," said Jones.
Kendall Waller feels safe being here with her family.
"Now that everything has calmed down a bit. Vaccination is out, numbers are dropping. We're very excited to get quality time with family," she said.
For kids, like 1-year-old Wyatt, there will be an egg hunt in the outfield after each service.
"He just started walking, so watch out!" warned his mom.
And, the church is thankful the weather did turn out so nice. If it had rained, there was no backup plan.
And, that, right there, is faith.