Precisely at 6 a.m under overcast skies, a few hundred people gathered in Elizabeth Park on Sunday morning to celebrate the the resurrection of Jesus Christ on a hill overlooking Hartford.
A light drizzle fell at times and people stood or sat in chairs for the service, a Hartford tradition on Easter Sunday. A few dogs also joined the outdoor congregation.
The Easter service at the Elizabeth Park overlook began with a trumpet solo by Mike Comeau, of Manchester. He played “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven” before accompanying two classic Easter hymns, “Thine is the Glory,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.”
The Rev. Mia Douglas, of Asylum Hill Congregational Church, delivered an Easter Meditation with stories from her own life and the struggles she want through.
Her mother, Josie S. Douglas, was in a chair with an umbrella ready for the weather, right up front. She had come up from Florence, South Carolina to hear Mia preach.
The early morning audience included Phil Hopkins and his daughters, Elise, visiting from Boston and Abby, of West Hartford. Elise said that her father “was a big sunrise (service) proponent.”
The family has been coming to the Easter service at Elizabeth Park for two decades.
“It is very peaceful and you don’t have to dress up, you can come as you are,” Elise said.
