The Lexington County Baseball Stadium got an early start on Sunday, playing host to an atypical crowd. Calvary Church Lexington employed the venue for their Easter Sunrise Service, bringing hundreds of people into the stands.
On the program were music from the Calvary Church Choir and the Brookland Baptiste Church, a message from senior pastor John Hoppe, and a personal story from guest speaker Marcus Lattimore, a former USC running back.
Hoppe saw an opportunity in the layout and capacity of the stadium to extend an invitation beyond his congregation to the entire surrounding community, in the hope of including as many local Easter celebrators as possible.
Those who attended the service were awed by the scale of the production and moved by being out in the open air to see the sunrise. One attendee told WLTX19, "I loved it. The music was wonderful, having the different churches come together, it was just so exciting."
Hoppe said this was the first time the church had access to the stadium for an event, and considered it a huge success. He’s hoping for a repeat performance next year.
