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‘More than just eggs and bunnies’
Local church takes community members on a walk through Easter
Walk Through Easter 1
To celebrate the Easter holiday, which honors the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock hosted “A Walk Through Easter,” a free educational walk-through diorama depicting the last week of Jesus Christ’s life, the atonement and His resurrection (Photo courtesy of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock).

While the Easter holiday has become synonymous with candy-filled plastic eggs and bunnies, one local church took it upon themselves to remind folks of the true reason for the season — the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after his crucifixion. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at 4300 Geer Rd. hosted what they called “A Walk Through Easter.” Each evening, the church hosted visitors and took them on a free educational walk-through diorama depicting the last week of Jesus Christ’s life, the atonement and His resurrection. It was a two-day event months in the making that drew hundreds, and connected people from all walks of life.

“We planned it out for months and we had so many people helping to make this possible,” said head of production Rachel Lighthall. 

Walk Through Easter 2
Eleanor and Lucy Fremming pose outside of the entrance to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ “A Walk Through Easter” in Turlock on Wednesday (Photo courtesy of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock).

The tour included stops at over a dozen rooms within each of the two church buildings on Geer Road. Each room was decorated by the different stakes within the church. Church members also served as tour guides and cast members, recreating events from the Bible. Scenes were made as realistic as possible thanks to the use of professional lighting crews, real plants, era-specific clothing and complimentary video clips.

As guests walked from room to room, they were treated to free refreshments, as well as art from several children within the church. Paintings depicted scenes from the Bible, some accompanied by scripture in English and Spanish. The church offered tours in both languages, and Lighthall was impressed by the turnout.

Walk Through Easter 3
One of the stops on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints’ “A Walk Through Easter” reenacts the finding of Jesus Christ’s empty tomb following his crucifixion (Photo courtesy of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock).

“We had around 500 (guests) the first day,” she said. “Probably more (the second day).”

A large number of visitors included children. Some came away having just as much fun as they would have had while searching for Easter eggs. At one stop on the tour, children wrote their thoughts on flashcards.

“I love Jesus.”

“I can’t believe he went through all that for us.”

“Jesus is risen!”

Those were just some of the messages Lighthall read that were left behind by the youngsters.

“We had so many write their little testimonies,” she said. “It’s beautiful. They felt this. They’re learning that Easter is more than just eggs and bunnies.”

One thing that made Lighthall especially proud was the bond that was made between people despite the beliefs in different branches of Christianity.

Walk Through Easter 4
Paintings made by children within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock depict scenes from the Bible and accompanied by scripture in English and Spanish were on display during “A Walk Through Easter” on Tuesday and Wednesday (Photo courtesy of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Turlock).

“We had a lot of members of our congregation, but there were so many people that weren’t. They believe in Christ, too,” Lighthall said. “Each church has different beliefs, but the people who came together here believe Jesus is God and we love Him and believe that He created the world… (We’re) talking about Jesus and (we’re) feeling the spirit. I hope that they feel love and community and peace and connection. In some way, we're at least spreading that kind of light.”

Considering the event’s popularity, Lighthall is confident that it will become a yearly event. 

“I think we’re going to make this a yearly event because we love the opportunity to share our faith with other people,” she said. “And we think that the world needs a lot of Jesus right now.”