Cary Church celebrates 1st Easter in 2 years without COVID restrictions

CARY, NC (WNCN) – Many families couldn’t wait for the opportunity to come to a church and worship together for the first time in years.

This is the first public holiday that churchgoers can celebrate without requiring COVID-19 masks or social distancing.

Attendees like Bill Green, a member of Christ the King Lutheran Church, said Sunday he and his family celebrated Easter in person for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.

“We’re all in the building, we’re all together and it kind of shows how things can progress and get better. And Easter is the perfect way to kind of show things are getting better,” Green said.

Rev. Wolfgang Herz-Lane is the senior pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Cary and said this service was special.

“Two years ago we preached to empty pews and empty seats, it’s so strange. So having an audience that reacts and responds is a huge boon for us today,” Herz-Lane said.

The church normally holds 1,500 people, but that will soon be a thing of the past.

Herz-Lane said they’ve now adapted to online service, and while it’s effective, he said it has nothing to do with an in-person service.

Those present in the community agree.

“You meet a lot of new faces for the Easter service by doing it in person, like we did online last year. It’s good to see new people come in and really see what our church is like,” said Green’s daughter, Mattie Green.

“When you’re home, it’s kind of like you don’t feel like you’re in person. You can really feel the spirit moving through other people and it’s just an amazing personal experience,” said Ashley Sammer.

Sarah Parkins said Sunday was her first time attending church and she was impressed and loved the personal setting.

“Coming into church is about being with your congregation and really feeling the warmth and kindness of the congregation. You don’t really get that as much as a virtual visitor to a church,” she said.

When the service ended, Herz-Lane said people were excited and very emotional.

“A lot of people were actually in tears. I mean, they were just so happy to be back, not just to listen to me or other pastors, but to see each other, hug and actually relate,” he said.

Herz-Lane said they recommend all attendees continue to wear masks and get vaccinated, but it’s just a recommendation. Because of its ability to reach believers in other parts of the state, country and other parts of the world, the church will offer both online and in-person worship services.

For more informations for their services click here.