Local churches gearing up for the easter holiday amid a possible rise in Christianity
GRANGER, Ind. -- Easter is a big holiday that brings many people to church, but beyond that Granger Community Church has seen recent growth in overall attendance, which Pastor John Keim says all boils down to curiosity especially as we near Easter.
John Keim, Granger Community Church Pastor of Family & Missions explains, "We've seen growth here lately, in the last few years, which is encouraging. It's exciting. I think a lot of it is people are curious about how faith plays a role, not just on a Sunday morning, but in my life? What do we have to do? How do we live this out? What is what does Jesus do in my life today? How does the Bible relate to what I'm going through in my school, in my job? So people are curious."
According to an article posted by Benedictine College in Kansas, some dioceses are reporting increases of anywhere between 30 and 70 percent growth in Christianity. That article also cites a Pew Center report stating that the number of adults who identify as Christian is no longer dropping, rather staying steady at 62 percent since 2019.
With Easter right around the corner many churches are gearing up for large crowds. Granger Community Church seats 1,700 in the auditorium at their granger location and has an overflow room in case services fill up. The church begins preparing for this holiday weeks in advance.
Keim says, "We actually have added extra services for the weekend. We'll have four services here at our Granger campus, and then three at our Elkhart campus as well. So, we're making room for guests, making room for family members that are coming.”
St. Pius X is Granger is also gearing up for the holiday, and this year the Parish has to prepare for more people than ever before. Msgr. Michael Heintz, a Pastor at St. Pius X Catholic says, "This year, we've seen a record number of people interested in Catholic faith, in Catholic faith, in addition to the 31 folks we'll be baptizing on the Easter Vigil. A couple of weeks ago, we received the Catholic Church confirmed about 21 or 22 others, men, women and children. We've seen an interest in the numbers going up. I think if people are hungering for something, they can hold on to.”
He goes on to say the age ranges for those baptisms span from second grade to people enjoying retirement! The church seats 1,500 people and on top of that there will be a simultaneous Easter Sunday Mass in the Gymnasium at 10 that morning to help with the large number of visitors that come in for this religious holiday. Easter is the center of the Christian year with three days of preparation for the holiday starting with Holy Thursday observances that take place Thursday.