For some people, Easter makes them think of the a bunny or receiving chocolate. For Christians it signifies the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
According to The Bible, Jesus died on the cross for humanity’s sins on Good Friday and conquered death by rising again on the third day, known as Easter Sunday. This year, Easter is from the 29 to 31, Concordia’s Christian Fellowship (CCF) will be celebrating earlier with their second Easter Celebration from March 22 to 28 by having book tables and an artistic night with drama, skits, special presentations, singing, and dancing.
Although the decision to do the Easter Celebration was made during the beginning of last semester, it was confirmed in mid-February. Prior to its commencement, people will be able to receive more information about the celebration at the CCF book table on March 20 from 4 to 8 p.m. or the one on March 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the lobby of the Hall building.
The celebration itself will kick off on March 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the CCF’s large group meeting in room H-613. Jonathan Lapointe, a 21-year-old computer engineering student, will be the emcee for the artistic night that will include special music by the worship team, a magic trick, some scriptural drama, and a dance. It will be followed by Tony Schaapman, a local chalk artist, who has been invited to speak on the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.
While the first CCF Easter Celebration was two years ago, Joshua Cherng, a 22-year-old sociology student, president of CCF, and one of the organizers of the celebration, anticipates good things this year. “I can confidently say that this year’s celebration will be just as good as the previous ones, even if in a different way. I’m praying that God will do something amazing on campus and that the students on campus will be able to know what Easter is all about.”
Sandra Simbert, a 26-year-old urban studies student, the CCF vice-president/outreach co-ordinator, and one of the celebration organizers, is very excited. “Easter is the most significant event for the Christian faith,” she says.
“It represents the core values of what we believe. We believe Jesus died for our sins and three days later rose again. We have hope that this living God can help us in our lives and gives us eternal life. It’s a two-dimensional faith.” Remembrance and thankfulness is key. For Marie Dejean, a 24-year-old biochemistry student, the CCF treasurer, and a celebration organizer, adds how “it’s also a time of giving thanks for all that He has done for all of us.”
Other things planned for the celebration include an international students camp March 22-24 and having another book table stationed on the Mezzanine on the 25th from 12 to 5 p.m. Fran_ois Bergeron, a chalk artist from Magog, will be giving a presentation entitled “Between Two Criminals” twice on March 26 at SGW and March 28 at Loyola.
Also, on the 27th, a Jesus video will be shown at SGW campus. Some drama performances and testimonies will be presented by two drama teams at SGW campus on the 28 with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) from Vancouver from 12 p.m. until the afternoon. They will perform drama, skits, dancing, and testimonies, and FLYM (Fountain of Life Youth Ministry) from Wisconsin doing some hip hop, dancing, and testimonies from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Finally, on March 28, there will be an Easter dinner for international students at 6 p.m. at the Peoples Church of Montreal (2097 Union Ave, metro McGill).
Besides organizing the various activities, Simbert is happy to belong to the cultural diversity represented in Concordia’s Christian Fellowship. “God is rich in His diversity, and the Christian Fellowship represents the world. We reflect John 3:16 which says, ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ We reflect all the four faculties of the downtown and Loyola campuses.”
According to Simbert, what CCF hopes to accomplish through this Easter Celebration is quite simple. “It’s to share our hope with the entire campus and invite them to celebrate with us. To offer the reflection of what’s the true meaning of Easter. It goes beyond the chocolate bunny,” she laughs.
For more information about the Easter Celebration, email Joshua Cherng at joshcherng@ hotmail.com, Sandra Simbert at [email protected] or Marie Dejean at [email protected]
The CCF office is located on 2020 MacKay in room 303, and the phone number is 848-7492.
The CCF website is http://alcor.concordia.ca/~ccf/ and the email address is ccf@ alcor.concordia.ca
