A year later, a sense of hope as Maine Christians celebrate Easter

"Sara Gauthier has spent nearly every Easter weekend of her life at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Sanford. The sanctuary was filled for services, with members hugging and singing and celebrating before heading home for Easter egg hunts and family dinners.

“There was major celebration and the church was packed,” said Gauthier, who is now in her mid-60s.

But last year, in the early weeks of the pandemic when even small gatherings were not allowed, Christians across Maine marked the resurrection of Jesus Christ in ways they had never imagined. Instead of gathering for sunrise services and prayers and hymns, they logged on to their computers to attend services on platforms like Zoom, YouTube and Facebook that church clergy and lay leaders were scrambling to learn to use. At St. George’s in Sanford, the Rev. Lauren Kay led Easter morning service on Zoom. There was no music and church members without internet access were missing.

This year feels different and more hopeful, said Bishop Thomas Brown of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine..."

Read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2021/04/02/a-sense-of-hope-as-maine-christians-celebrate-easter/