By Aliyah Bidwell, Senior Reporter
Alva churches are making plans for one of the most widely celebrated religious holidays in the world: Easter, which takes place Sunday.
The First Christian Church, 821 College Ave., is hosting a foot-washing event Thursday at 6:30 p.m. It replicates the Biblical story of when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. The church will host a sunrise service Sunday morning to represent Jesus’ resurrection. After that service, church members will eat breakfast.
The College Hill Church of Christ, 1102 College Blvd., will have a Bible study at 9:30 a.m. After the normal Sunday service, church members will have a catered Sunday lunch.
The First Baptist Church, 714 College Ave., will have Sunday school from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., followed by Sunday services from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The First United Methodist Church, 626 College Ave., will have a Maundy Thursday service on Thursday at 7 p.m. The event pays respect to and represents the last supper and the washing of the disciples’ feet.
Church members will have normal services on Easter Sunday, though they will include extended praise and worship.
The Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 627 12th St., started its celebration of Easter on April 2. Catholics around the globe begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday, which is when they commemorate Jesus entering Jerusalem. Church members will celebrate Holy Thursday, a mass where the congregation receives the body and blood of Christ.
On Good Friday at 3 p.m., church members will have Stations of the Cross, which is where they pray about Jesus’ road to crucifixion. At 6:30 p.m., church members will have the Passion of the Lord service, and at 8:30 p.m., they will have the Easter Vigil to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The Sunday Service will begin at 9 a.m., followed by an Easter egg hunt for children.