Churches, Organizations Prepare Easter Events For Maumee Residents

BY KRISTI FISH | MIRROR REPORTER — Several churches and local organizations are preparing for Easter in Maumee.

The holiday, which falls on Sunday, April 9, will see many Easter egg hunts and even some photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny in Maumee.

Maumee Uptown Business Association event coordinator Sara Eiden has been busy planning an uptown Easter Eggstravaganza for Maumee residents on Saturday, April 1 from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

“MUBA holds events like the Easter Eggstravaganza because we want to welcome the Maumee community and those surrounding to the uptown area,” Eiden noted. “We want to facilitate community engagement, we want to remind people that the businesses in the uptown area are thriving even during this time of construction and that we truly do love the town that we belong to.”

The free event will have an egg hunt, activities, a photo opportunity with the Easter Bunny and more.

“We do encourage the egg hunt to be children 12 and under, but we absolutely leave that up to the parents’ discretion because you are always a kid at heart,” Eiden said.

After checking in for the event, the kids will receive a bag to fill with 12 eggs, which can then be turned in for a goody bag full of fun prizes, like candy.

“One thing I’m personally excited about is we are doing it a little bit more green. We are going to have the eggs turned back in to us to be reused next year,” Eiden said. “It’s great for the organization to be able to reuse them year-to-year and the parents not have to take home extra clutter.”

Several uptown businesses will also have eggs hidden inside their shops in the uptown area as part of the event. To find the list of participating businesses and take part in the Eggstra-vaganza, families can check in starting at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 1 at First Pres Maumee at 200 E. Broadway St.

First Pres Maumee will also be holding several of its own Easter-related services. On Sunday, April 9, a sunrise service is planned for 7:00 a.m. at the Side Cut Metropark Peace Garden.

Two identical worship services are planned for 9:00 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. at the church on Easter Sunday, too.

For children in fifth grade and below, a Resurrection Egg Hunt is planned between the two services at 10:15 a.m. Participating children will learn more about the history of Easter and walk away with treat-filled eggs.

At Maumee United Methodist Church, co-director of children and family ministries Terra Mitchell said preschool-aged children through fifth-grade are invited to The Ultimate April Fools Easter Event on Saturday, April 1 at 4:00 p.m.

Maumee UMC, which is located at 405 Sackett St., will hold an Amazing Race-style event that will discuss the story of Easter with children, and free rewards and candy will be given out.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church at 104 W. Broadway St. in Maumee also has several services planned for its congregation, according to Abbie Spillis, the director of engagement and marketing.

Daily Mass will be held on Monday through Friday of Holy Week at 8:00 a.m. along with Reconciliation at 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, April 3-5.

Events are planned for Holy Thursday at 7:00 p.m., Good Friday at noon, and Holy Saturday at noon and 8:30 p.m., along with Easter Sunday Mass at 7:00, 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.

More information on the services and future events can be found on St. Joseph Catholic Church’s website, stjosephmaumee.org.

Along with St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, First Pres Maumee and Maumee UMC, four other churches – St. Paul’s Episcopal, Cornerstone Church, St. Andrews United Methodist and Cass Road Baptist – will be participating in a Good Friday event at 2:00 p.m. in uptown Maumee as part of Maumee Churches United.

“The Way of the Cross” will involve participants from all seven churches in a prayer walk, beginning at First Pres Maumee at 200 E. Broadway St. and ending at St. Joseph Catholic Church at 104 W. Broadway St.