Thousands attend Easter service at Stone Mountain

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Thousands attended the annual, non-denominational Easter service on top of Stone Mountain.

For more than 70 years, thousands of worshipers have gathered at Stone Mountain Park for an Easter service. Congregants watch the sun rise over Atlanta and hear uplifting sermons at either the top or base of Stone Mountain on Easter Sunday morning.

The tradition started in 1944, before the land around Stone Mountain was officially owned by the State of Georgia.

Lucille A. Lanford, from Stone Mountain First United Methodist Church, suggested that the church’s youth group climb to the top of Stone Mountain on Easter morning to watch the sunrise. The event grew from that one youth group to thousands ascending the mountain every Easter since.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Child dies after getting stuck in rotator at Sun Dial restaurant
• Marietta firefighter killed in wreck while on vacation returns home
• 1 killed, 5 injured after police say valet driver forgets to put car in park

Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach asked one of organizers about the special meaning at sunrise and talked to one mom bringing her kids there for the first time after coming herself as a young child.

"Makes everything come alive and everything just jump right off the page,” Rev. Jim Lancaster said.

"I just think the spirit's going to be with all of us and just can't wait to feel it and see the sunrise at the same time. Going to be a beautiful thing,” Donna Scroggins said.

Cox Media Group