HAWLEY, Pa. — The season of Lent is a time many churches celebrate with their members. With a stay-at-home order in place and all non-essential businesses keeping closed, churches like Hawley United Methodist have already adjusted how they host services. But they've come up with an Easter idea to bring some cheer to the neighborhood.
"Thinking of ways to decorate the tree and the idea that came to us was that it would be fun to have the community decorate the tree," said Pastor Michelle Whitlock, Hawley United Methodist Church. "So we have gone through all the precautions to make it possible for people to pick up wooden eggs and decorate them."
Pastor Michelle and other church members thought it would be a creative activity to do inside while people are staying home.
"There is a container of wipes with them, so we encourage you to wipe them off after you've taken one out of the basket or container they're in."
Anyone in the community is welcome to come and take an egg, one per person, while they are out getting their essentials. Want to know how to decorate it? They've got a suggestion for that, too. There will be a video workshop hosted by "Paint with Jill" to show how to paint the egg with a mandala design -- a series of circles and dots -- in a unique way.
"They can learn how to make a mandala on their egg, but people can paint whatever they want to paint. We just thought it would be fun to provide a way to get creative and have something to do."
When you finish painting your eggs, you can bring it back on your next trip out for essentials, to the church office so it can be sealed and hang with the other eggs. They also ask that you bring it back before next weekend.