Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

CALERA – Families can look forward to a special Easter service on Sunday, April 20 as Collectivus Church hosts Easter at the Stadium.

For Easter this year, Collectivus Church is hosting a large-scale, community-focused worship service, titled “Easter at the Stadium,” on April 20 starting at 10:30 a.m. at Calera High School’s football stadium.

“We’re really excited,” said Ben Nelson, lead pastor at Collectivus Church. “I think our goal, not just this Easter but just this year in general, was to do as much outside our church as we could.”

The event is intended to bring people together and to offer a welcoming atmosphere for individuals who may not regularly attend church.

“Church can be an intimidating thing to walk across the threshold if you’ve had any kind of bad experience or just any kind of hang ups in your faith,” Nelson said. “So, the idea is that—not to try to get people in our church—but to get our church into the community as much as we can through serving. And so, we thought why not hold a beautiful spring service outside?”

Easter at the Stadium will offer a live worship service alongside an Easter message with family-friendly activities and free goodies for children in attendance. Attendees can bring blankets or lawn chairs for seating on the field or can utilize the stadium bleachers during the event and worship service.

“It’ll feel a lot like an Easter event more than just a service,” Nelson said. “A lot of times in the church world, we think we have to choose, especially on Sunday, between a church day and a family day. We really believe that church can be both of those things.”

Collectivus Church plans to provide early attendees with refreshments at approximately 10 a.m. before the service kicks off at 10:30 with worship, a message, prayer over the city and an opportunity for people to connect and socialize. Nelson said the church also plans to have photo spots available for families to take Easter photos.

“Easter is a time of hope, renewal and celebration,” Nelson said. “We want this to feel like one big family gathering, where all people can experience the love of Jesus in an open and inviting space—because the message of the resurrection is for everyone.”

Nelson reflected on the importance of the Easter holiday and highlighted how its message can have an impact on others.

“It’s a powerful time and is just a reminder of the life Jesus lived, the death he died and the life he offers us as well,” Nelson said. “It’s a good message of hope for anyone looking for something to come alive in their life and in their faith as well.”

The Collectivus Church is located on Calera Main Street at 8271 Highway 31 and aims to be “a modern-day expression of the early church.”

“Over time things often stray away from their original intent and so we see this even in the bible,” Nelson said. “We believe that the early church was more about caring for one another and caring for their community than what we often see within the church world… We believe in that kind of communal living that we weren’t meant to do life alone but that we were meant do life together.”

Prior to Easter at the Stadium, Collectivus Church will hold a sunrise service at the Calera Courtyard at 6 a.m.