Easter 2024 reverberated across North America with the sounds of God’s children proclaiming: “He is risen! He is RISEN INDEED!”
But the proclamation did not rise and fall on these spoken words alone. Wesleyans boldly lived the gospel message out loud by reaching into their communities, loving on people and extending personal invitations to passion remembrances, Easter services, and times of food and fellowship. Some launched a new church out of their God-given Acts 1:8 callings. Others reaped the joy and blessing of harvest after years of faithful sowing. Each church bearing witness to the kingdom of God and erupting in celebrations of lives being Made New and baptisms among them.
The following testimonies and Facebook posts (hyperlinked below) represent countless stories of the ways the hope of Christ, our risen Lord, is being shared across the districts in The Wesleyan Church of North America and breaking into our world.
Central Canada
Dundalk Wesleyan Church in Ontario, Canada, is a small country church connecting with new people and families in their growing community. Pastor Chris Lang shared, “Our Good Friday worship service saw 75 in attendance and Easter Sunday was just shy of 80. For us, these numbers are huge!”
This Easter, a young man named Dillon, who had grown up in the church, rededicated his life to Christ and was baptized. Dillon gave this testimony at his baptism: “God loves people like me who don’t deserve it. God loves us so much that he sacrificed his own Son for us who are sinners. He paid a debt that he did not owe for us … because of these reasons I am convicted and want to spend eternity with Jesus. So, today, through my baptism, I am declaring who I belong to … I want the whole world to know who my Savior is and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, my blessed redeemer.”
Crossroads
Waterline Church in Fishers, Indiana, celebrated Jesus’ resurrection in community with two baptisms and family coming together to worship the king, who is ALIVE!
College Wesleyan Church in Marion, Indiana, experienced six baptisms and one confirmation on Easter Sunday 2024. Pastor of Discipleship Reverend Ethan Linder said, “Our baptism class guided participants through the process of creating a ‘baptism project’ — a creative representation of the significance of baptism in their own journey toward taking on new life in Christ. Those projects ended up reflecting biblical themes of baptism — cleansing, deliverance, sustenance, newness of life — and will hang in our atrium until our next baptism projects take their place. It was a gift to hear the testimonies of those baptized and confirmed, and incredibly wonderful to walk into our church each week and see a visual reminder of the baptismal life.”
Despite a significant crisis and grieving since their dearly loved pastor died in a tragic car accident three years ago, Elwood Central Wesleyan Church in Indiana decided this Easter to work diligently to share Jesus with their neighborhoods!
“They put up signs, handed out invitations, gave wristbands and did special things to connect. One gentleman made 50 gift baskets and took them to each of his neighbors. Others walked their blocks and generally shared the love of Jesus with whoever they saw,” said Interim Pastor Mark Atkinson. “On Easter Sunday, the church was full. However, the most exciting news from Easter Sunday is that 30 individuals made commitments to follow Jesus and filled out cards! On Wednesday, the revival continued as a group met at Wendy’s. They brought a lady to the church, and she gave her heart to Jesus. What an exciting time!”
Great Lakes Region
Woodland Church in Battle Creek, Michigan, opened their doors this Easter weekend to give 2,464 people the opportunity to celebrate our risen Savior. On Maundy Thursday, 120 people gathered for communion. At noon on Good Friday, Woodland hosted a community worship service with six area churches and returned to worship once again that evening. Easter Sunday culminated in celebration with baptisms of their children, teens and adults and 1,484 in attendance.
Union City Wesleyan Church in Union City, Michigan, celebrated the goodness of God with five baptisms.
Encounter Church in Jackson, Michigan, had an amazing Easter weekend. The Encounter Team had been praying and preparing for Easter. They had 23 people accept Jesus for the first time and celebrated seven baptisms. Additionally, after the second service, one individual expressed their desire to be baptized before leaving and then was. It was an unforgettable Easter for the Encounter Team.
Linnette Valdez compartió su testimonio en Facebook y celebró su bautizmo con otros en la Iglesia “Casa de Restauración” in New Berlin, Wisconsin. (Linnette Valdez shared her testimony and celebrated her baptism and others at Iglesia Casa de Restauracion in New Berlin, Wisconsin, on Facebook.)
Pastor Ryan Bibb from Radiant Life Church stated, “What an Easter weekend it was! We had record attendance, 43 baptisms with half being spontaneous. You could feel and see Holy Spirit move and awaken people to him. As one woman who got baptized with her husband and adult son said, ‘Nothing compared to what I felt at the service last Saturday. God wrapped his loving arms around my family. A smile would not leave my face as tears of joy ran down my face. There are no words to adequately describe it, other than maybe PURE JOY and PURE LOVE. It is like the rest of the room and world disappeared in that moment and it was just us with God.’ All praise and glory to God!”
Indiana South
God was on the move at Paoli Wesleyan Church in Indiana as they celebrated 10 baptisms this Easter.
Kentucky-Tennessee
Celebration of new life, transformation and deliverance was abundant in the JLAT (Jesus Loves Addicts Too) service at Westwood Wesleyan. God is raising the dead to life in Ashland, Kentucky!
Mountain Plains
All Seasons Church, Bellevue, Nebraska, launched Easter Sunday after a year of planning and developing a core team.
“We had 74 in attendance and one decision for Christ,” said Pastor Dave Gifford. “So many great things happened … A young man shared a prayer request on his connect card and stated that he heard there was going to be a church in his old school and wanted to see what it was all about. This 15-year-old got up early enough on his own to get to church! He may have needed this safe space and encouragement, may be looking for a relationship with God or so many other possibilities. It’s about reaching the ONE!”
Pastor Dave continued, “The other notable story is about an adult male who came to our last rehearsal before launch. He took the time to share with us how he felt so much love and acceptance that (previous) Sunday. He returned on Easter bringing in an over 10-foot tall wooden cross. It literally was hanging out of his car and took two people to carry it. Maybe to some it was just leftover wood nailed together but to us it was so much more. We determined we will be displaying it at every service going forward as we remain laser focused on finding the next ONE God connects us to!
North Carolina East
Bagley Swamp Wesleyan Church in Hertford, North Carolina, had a great day of celebration and worship with 13 people — four kids, six teens and three adults — baptized. Pastor Casey Spaugh said, “When students were asked about their desire to be baptized, they shared how it was their desire to walk the rest of their lives with Jesus. One student stated, ‘Perhaps this is the best decision I’ll make, to put my life in his hands.’”
Shenandoah
First Simple Church gave us a glimpse of their Easter weekend by sharing captured moments of Good Friday, Holy Saturday and resurrection Sunday on Facebook. Proclaiming the gospel, carrying the cross and gathering for Easter sunrise were just a few ways our risen Lord was remembered in Williamsburg, Virginia.
South Carolina
“God has been opening many doors that we could never open,” said Rev. Michael McClung at Trinity Wesleyan Church in Central, South Carolina. “Over the past year, the ethnic configuration of the church has changed dramatically with eight different countries of origin represented in our Easter 2024 services. In 2023, we saw 54 people surrender to Christ, with eight more people over the past three weeks. We also had one person baptized this Easter, our eighth person since November. We’re praying for an even greater year ahead!”
South Coastal
Gray Community Church (GCC) of Gray, Georgia, launched Easter 2023 with 220 in attendance and four baptisms. Led by Co-Lead Pastors Josh and Jordan Echols, GCC has seen God move in tremendous ways.
Pastor Jordan shared, “This year, we celebrated our second Easter as a church with 330 in attendance and 28 salvations on Easter Sunday. We are expecting to continue to see God move in our church and community for our second year! The best is yet to come!”
Over the last two months, Rocket City Church (RCC) in Madison, Alabama, had a young professional named Janice show up, who was new to the area and recently engaged. Reverend Dr. Brian Bradford stated that Janice was “originally from the Philippines and grew up in a non-Christian home. Once at RCC, she came to accept Christ and joined our new believer life group with her fiancé. On Easter, Janice decided to be baptized! Afterwards, she was asked how she felt. Her three-word response: ‘Overflowing with love.’”
“Now over three years into our church plant,” Dr. Bradford stated, “stories like Janice’s never get old. Despite opposition from her family of origin, she is more on fire for Jesus than ever before. May we all ask God for more transformations like these! And may the new believers continue to inspire long time believers to re-up their commitment and fire for Jesus, and his challenge to seek and save the lost!”
Rev. Angela Alvarado is the assistant editor of Communication and Administration of The Wesleyan Church and a graduate of Wesley Seminary, Marion, Indiana.
