In front of about 8,000 people, Richard Andre held his breath moments before his head was pushed under water.
“I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but I’ve never fully given myself to the Lord,” he said.
Andre, 21, was one of many who volunteered to be baptized during Sunday’s Easter service hosted by Greenhouse Church, a group unaffiliated with a Christian denomination, in the O’Connell Center. Across Gainesville, UF students and residents gathered to celebrate the major Christian holiday, which commemorates their belief that Jesus rose from the dead after his crucifixion on Good Friday.
It was the first time the Greenhouse Church, which offers weekly services on UF campus, celebrated Easter in the O’Connell Center, said Danely Martinez, a coordinator for one of the church’s locations. The service’s sermon was given by Pastor Mike Patz, and attendees could be baptized in tubs afterward, a process in which Christians are submerged in water or have it placed on them as a symbol of their faith.
“I bet there hasn’t been a lot of baptisms in the stadium before,” Patz said.
Lauren Paul, a UF political science freshman and member of the Greenhouse church, said the arena Easter service was a way to bring people together.
“I think it’s important to not seclude your religion to a place,” the 19-year-old said. “It’s amazing they gathered everyone here.”
About 8,000 people sing Christian songs together as the large screen showed lyrics. Service at the O'Connell Center was held Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
At St. Augustine Church on West University Avenue, about 50 people stood and sang in the warm foyer, waiting to pace into the packed main area for the Catholic Easter Sunday mass.
Father Marek Dzien said about 800 people attended the 9 a.m. mass, and he expected even more at the 11:30 a.m. service. To prepare, they set up an overflow room to seat an additional 300. Dzien also led Spanish masses later in the day.
The night before Sunday’s mass, Dzien was at the church until 2 a.m.
“It’s nothing new,” he said. “Like for a doctor to go into the hospital to treat people, or for the teacher to go into the school, it is our job.”
For Aryssa Tognozzi, Easter is a time to connect with her family, celebrate life and reflect on personal growth.
Tognozzi, a 22-year-old UF animal science senior, said despite being away from her family, her college friends help fill the gap.
“We’ve all been raised with the same values, so it’s easy to talk to them,” Tognozzi said. “It’s easy when you have friends who have been very close, and we’re like family.”
Heather Pancoast, the co-director at Gator Wesley Foundation, a student Methodist group, said she hopes students attending the church’s Easter service received a message of hope. In her first year at the church, near University Avenue and 13th Street, she has seen students feel overwhelmed and stressed.
“I would hope they walk away today feeling lighter, really hopeful that there is a bigger plan and there is something greater than them,” she said.
Contact Romy Ellenbogen at rellenbogen@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @romyellenbogen
Contact Meryl Kornfield at mkornfield@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @MerylKornfield
The Easter Bunny and Charles Young, pastor of Alive Church, located at 1826 W. University Ave., wave to passing drivers before heading inside for an evening service.
