Easter 2008 Highlights


This year marked WOC’s first year of holding two Easter services on the MTSU campus.  Approximately 15,000 collectively attended the Saturday evening and Sunday morning services.  Fair skies and moderate temperatures helped in transporting thousands by buses from various campus parking lots to the Murphy Center.

The pre-service program kicked off thirty minutes prior to service time and featured  music by the WOC Celebration Arts Ministry Team, the WOC Children’s and Adult Choirs and drama from Ted & Company’s Fisheyes: Journeying the Gospels with Peter & Andrew. 

The Celebrations Arts Ministry Team engaged the filled arena at the start of services with praise and worship that included both traditional and contemporary songs.  The Choirs, along with the Music City Mystique Drum Corps from Nashville all joined in for an exciting an uplifting rendition of the “Hallelujah Chorus.”  A moving scripture presentation of the Easter story as recorded in Isaiah was included in the praise and worship portion of the service.

Senior Pastor Allen Jackson’s Easter message, entitled “Looking Up When It’s Upside Down,” encouraged the people to seek God through life’s challenges and shared the redemptive power of the Easter story.  A special video taped earlier in Jerusalem was also part of the service.

Special musical guest was Diamond Rio, one of country music’s most successful groups. They performed some of their most popular songs, including “In God We Still Trust.”

While services were in progress in the arena of Murphy Center, children from birth through the third grade enjoyed a variety of programming and activities.  Infants and toddlers received lots of attention as their caregivers talked to them about the love of Jesus.  Two year olds learned the Easter story from “Cuddles the Lamb.” 

Miss PattyCake took the three year olds on an egg hunt adventure, presenting the story of Easter Egg-Strava-Ganzaly.The four and five year olds completed an ongoing study, Jesus, This is Your Life. BibleMan Live presented a fantastic program of sounds, breathtaking special effects and edge-of-your-seat drama for Kindergarten through 3rd grade.

There are more pictures available in the Easter Photogallery.