- About 5-6 thousand neighbors packed the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center for City Church's Easter Sunday service.
- Hundreds in attendance leaned on prayer as the community continues mourning the recent FSU shooting tragedy.
- Watch the video to hear from an FSU student in attendance about how the service is aiding the healing process.
Easter Sunday service is a yearly tradition for many in our communities, but the recent tragedy at Florida State University has given this year’s Easter service a whole new meaning. I’m Kenya Cardonne in the College Town neighborhood, where a massive service at the Civic Center opened with heavy hearts and prayers for those mourning the deadly campus shooting.
City Church’s annual Easter Sunday service at the Civic Center drew between five and six thousand neighbors, many leaning on faith and prayer to navigate the traumatic event that struck our community on April 17th: the deadly shooting at Florida State University.
Peyton Hill, Director of The Salt Company - “There's no way that we cannot open our service thinking about, reflecting on what happened just a few days ago and also just offering some hope.”
Jack Taylor is one of hundreds of FSU students who attend City Church. He tells me that Saturday, he returned to campus for the first time since the day he had to shelter for safety from the shooter.
“What does it feel like walking through campus now?”
Jack Taylor - “It's very somber.”
Taylor says a congregation like this is just what the community needed, reminding each other they are loved and not alone.
Taylor - “A lot of people have commented that a lot of this was very sudden, but I think this is the prime time for us to show up and show that we're unified.”
Hill - “Our community is grieving, our campus is grieving, absolutely, but the number of people that were here today, the excitement, the joy in the room, just shows that people are beginning to turn their eyes to the light that dawns..”
Classes are set to resume Monday, although many admit they aren’t exactly ready to walk the same path where lives were lost.
Taylor - “But I know for me personally, I want to take my exams, I want to do my assignments. I want to give it my absolute best because I feel like so much has been taken, and I don't want to give him anything else.”
City Church has a college-based ministry called The Salt Company, which is also an on-campus ministry at FSU. They are encouraging any students in need of prayer during these times to lean on them.
In College Town, Kenya Cardonne ABC 27.
