The drive-thru alternative for our More than an Egg Hunt event ran from 5:30-7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, at the church. Here are a few reflections from the night, and some praise for God’s guidance and answer to prayer for what turned into a massive community outreach experience.
From organizer Robin Kratzer to the church family:
The following is a column written by youth group leader John Zaktansky reflecting on the drive-thru “More than an Egg Hunt” event. The column will be published in the Sunday, April 4, Daily Item newspaper:
Well-masked and gloved – and properly distanced – I squatted near the open driver-side window of a maroon Hyundai crossover and asked the family inside what special needs I could pray for during this time of uncertainty.
“I was laid off just this afternoon,” said the driver. “I am a single mother with two kids and no idea of what happens next.”
A few cars later, a woman in the passenger seat shared concern for her father, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.
“We’re facing lots of appointments and treatments in a hospital where they are dealing with this virus. It is hard enough not knowing what to expect from the cancer, but we also will have to visit a place so many are trying to avoid right now.”
There was a family rallying around a little girl who broke her leg just two days before. A woman who works at a local hospital who was transitioned to the front lines of the coronavirus fight and nervous about what she would be facing. A young couple thankful both their jobs were still considered essential, but worried about caring for the six kids at home.
Just hours before Gov. Tom Wolf’s new statewide stay-at-home order was slated to start on Wednesday, hundreds of people drove through the parking lot of Port Ann Wesleyan Church for free meals, filled plastic Easter eggs, devotionals and prayer as part of a drive-thru alternative to the typically popular community outreach of the church’s annual “More Than an Egg Hunt” ministry.
A total of 228 pre-bagged meals and 100 Easter-themed children’s goody bags were handed out at an unexpected rate. Improvised options were added so that every family – every child – rode away with something. One church member suggested after the event that Jesus may have fed 5,000 people with a meager two fish and five loaves – but that evening, He pulled off a similar miracle, this time using two granola bars and five bags of pretzels.
Meals, snacks and door prizes aside, the most powerful moments for me, our pastor Paul Sheets and the church’s lay leader Bob Smith, were the raw, personal stories and opportunities for prayer with a wide variety of people craving personal connection and a ray of hope that only God can provide through situations like these.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced us to re-examine the meaning of many words and phrases — among them the concept of “essential.”
Is a certain business essential? Is a specific activity considered essential enough to continue while we navigate a stay-at-home quarantine?
However, the recent drive-thru experience at Port Ann Wesleyan helped underscore what – and more importantly Who – truly is essential during this time of uncertainty and fear. What a powerful reminder, especially when coupled with the life-altering message of grace, sacrifice and resurrection we celebrate at Easter.
“It is still the Easter season when we celebrate the hope we have in a risen Savior. Our day-to-day lives may have changed because of COVID-19, but the truth of Easter has not changed. We celebrated Easter in a new way,” said children’s director and event organizer Robin Kratzer. “It was an amazing experience to be able to bring joy to the children plus provide physical and spiritual food to the families. It has really been difficult to put in to words what happened through this event.”
Many physical church locations in the Valley may be temporarily closed due to stay-at-home quarantine requirements – Port Ann Wesleyan among them. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to connect with the people of the church via other creative options via Facebook, YouTube, Zoom video conferencing, Skype, email, phone calls, etc.
If you are among the people who are uncertain about what is next, feel overwhelmed with the what-ifs of day-to-day living or have a specific need, I encourage you to reach out to your local church. Contact information is usually available on church websites or in the phone book.
If you need guidance in finding a way to connect with your local church, send us an email by clicking here and we will do our best to assist you.
We at Port Ann Wesleyan thank God for the guidance to push through the moments of concern over whether or not to hold the event, and for the provisions – and people – He provided to help make it a success. We thank those who trusted our little church enough to make the trek over and share your raw moments of concern – and blessings – during this time.
May God be glorified through all the hills and valleys we face in the coming days, weeks and months.
John Zaktansky is the youth group leader for Port Ann Wesleyan Church. You can contact him directly by clicking here or calling 570-847-2718. Pastor Paul Sheets can be reached at 570-837-3188 or via this email link. Children’s director Robin Kratzer can be reached via email here.
And here are some photos from the evening. Unfortunately, we were too busy to get too many good photos from the event:
I just want to say how incredibly grateful I am to all of you. In the midst of this crazy time, you adapted and were still able to share God with over 200 people! We came and it was such a joy to see you praying over each vehicle/family and the food and candy was just a bonus. Thank you all for everything you did, you did a phenomenal job! God Bless!