SAN ANTONIO – Churches across the world and in San Antonio have adjusted their Easter traditions to keep their communities safe from COVID-19.
On Sunday morning, families didn’t have to wake up early or put on their Sunday-best for Easter service. Instead, they streamed church services online and created new Easter traditions.
In the Alamo Ranch area, children and adults rushed to their front yards early, eager to see a familiar face.
Alamo Hills Church announced earlier this week that they would lead a small parade featuring the Easter Bunny to cheer up kids in the area.
With the help of neighbors, the Easter Bunny hopped into the back of a truck and made his way through surrounding neighborhoods, escorted by a Bexar County Sheriffs Office deputy.
“I just want to hopefully get people out of that funk, get them out of their house, get them some fresh air, let these kids smile and let them run around in their front yards for a little bit,” Lacey Schneider said.
Schneider is the executive minister at Alamo Hills Church. She lead the organization of the parade inspired by a Bexar County Fire Department tradition.
“What they do is they have Santa on a big fire truck and they go up and down almost every street in the neighborhood,” Schneider said. "The kids love it. My street floods with kids.”
Schneider knew a celebration was needed as she can admit life hasn’t been as joyful these last few weeks.
Her church’s lead pastor, Roy Farias, was immediately on board with the idea of spreading joy.
“We’re bringing the hope, the joy and the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus into the neighborhoods,” Farias said. “We’re driving down your streets, coming into your homes through social media and being able to share the message with your families in your spaces.”
Children cheered happily and parents expressed their gratitude as the Easter Bunny made its way through the streets.
To learn more about Alamo Hills Church, visit its Facebook page here.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.
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