Worshippers gather for 58th annual Kiwanis Easter service
When the Rev. Dirk Rodgers of Roser Memorial Community Church stepped up to deliver a sermon Easter morning at beach, he told the crowd he was just five years old when the first such service was held.
The Kiwanis Club of Anna Maria Island on April 9 held the 58th annual Easter sunrise service at the Manatee Public Beach, 4000 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.
For early arrivals, the Anna Maria Beach Cafe served coffee.
The program included:
- Rodgers delivering the sermon;
- the Rev. Matthew Grunfield of the Episcopal Church of the Annunciation delivering the invocation;
- the Rev. Stephen King of Harvey Memorial Community Church reading Scriptures;
- the Rev. Douglas King of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church delivering the benediction;
- the Rev. Matthew Nowicki of St. Bernard Catholic Church delivering the offertory.
The service also featured music by Morgan Bryant.
New this year for the Kiwanis was the employment of some digital tools, including a live-streaming video for at-home worshippers, an online program and an online offertory for collecting electronic contributions.
The offering, which wasn’t tallied as of The Islander’s press time April 10, will be shared among participating churches and the club’s SCF Key Club scholarship program.