One pastor protested The Call's annual tradition of listing total Easter attendances.
"It sends the wrong message to church leaders that what matters ultimately is numbers," he said. "I also fear it is discouraging to smaller membership churches."
Still, 218 churches answered the invitation to celebrate their Easter services by e-mailing their totals or posting on Facebook. Some also sent along some additional inspiration.
"It was a beautiful day at Benton and Chestuee UMC," proclaimed Cleveland District pastor Betsy Switzer. "After a joint sunrise service, we enjoyed wonderful worship at each church."
Switzer's churches posted worship attendances of 81 and 57, respectively.
Several churches -- including Haven Chapel, Legion Memorial, Rutherford Memorial, Bookwalter, Bethany-Ceres, and East Ridge -- reported Easter baptisms and new members.
Ebenezer UMC in Knoxville had an all-time high attendance of 531, up from 453 last year. Cokesbury UMC in Knoxville hosted 6,123, up from 6,008 last year.
First Hillsville UMC celebrated 263 total worshipers at its new Out of the Box campus, for a total 520 for the Wytheville District congregation.
Edgefield UMC in Johnson City District also reported a record attendance (368, up from last year's record of 312), and Pastor Estel Williams gladdened the heart with his Easter message:
"Our theme through Holy Week was, 'You can't truly celebrate the resurrection without first going to the cross.' I know that's old news for some of us but we need to be reminded," Williams said.
"As a church we spent time realizing what Jesus went through for us. This led to a joyous Easter Sunday. From young to old, the enthusiasm was unbelievable ... I'm excited about what God can do when we can truly focus on what Easter is about."
The following totals include Easter Sunday worship attendances only. Each church is identified by its district (in parentheses).
6 - Meadowview (Kingsport)
12 - Cameron (Kingsport)
13 - Mt. Olivet, Goodfield (Cleveland)
15 - Otes (Kingsport)
15 - Lebanon (Kingsport)
19 - Edwards Chapel (Morristown)
19 - Mount Carmel, Mosheim (Morristown)
20 - Burks Garden (Tazewell)
20 - Kincaid (Kingsport)
22 - Whiteside (Chattanooga)
25 - Wright's Valley (Wytheville)
25 - Holly Springs (Kingsport)
25 - Valley Center (Kingsport)
26 - Watkins Chapel (Morristown)
28 - Old Union (Kingsport)
29 - Seahorns Chapel (Morristown)
29 - Hulls Chapel (Kingsport)
30 - Bethany, Ceres (Tazewell)
30 - Hermon (Kingsport)
31 - Beth-Car (Morristown)
31 - Payne's Chapel (Chattanooga)
31 - McCarty (Johnson City)
34 - Red Oak, Ceres (Tazewell)
34 - Bethel (Kingsport)
35 - George Street (Morristown)
35 - Cross (Morristown)
35 - Green Valley (Tazewell)
39 - Goodfield (Cleveland)
40 - Zion, Ceres (Tazewell)
40 - Eggleston (Tazewell)
42 -Cedar Grove (Morristown)
45 - Harned's Chapel (Morristown)
45 - St. Mark (Kingsport)
45 - Wesley's Chapel, Greeneville (Morristown)
48 -Hendron's Chapel (Knoxville)
50 - Amis Chapel (Morristown)
52 - Dodson Creek/Edgewood (Kingsport)
55 - Adam's Chapel (Kingsport)
55 - Arcadia (Kingsport)
56 - Tip Top (Wytheville)
56 - Ebbing & Flowing Springs (Kingsport)
56 - Pactolus (Kingsport)
57 - Chestuee (Cleveland)
58 - Persia (Kingsport)
58 - Carter Street (Wytheville)
59 - Fudges Chapel (Kingsport)
60 - Russellville (Morristown)
60 - Bear Springs (Tazewell)
61 - Depews Chapel (Kingsport)
62 - Mary's Chapel (Morristown)
63 - Concord (Tazewell)
64 - Norton (Big Stone Gap)
66 - Community (Kingsport)
67 - Ross Campground (Kingsport)
68 - Oakland (Morristown)
70 - Embreeville (Johnson City)
70 - Rye Cove (Big Stone Gap)
70 - Fall Branch (Kingsport)
70 - New Market (Morristown)
70 - Whittenburg (Morristown)
72 - Morrison Chapel (Kingsport)
73 - Grange Hall (Kingsport)
73 - St. Luke (Kingsport)
74 - Hartman's Chapel (Morristown)
77- Prospect (Big Stone Gap)
77 - Elm Springs (Kingsport)
78 - First Bulls Gap (Morristown)
78 - Pleasant Grove/Valley View (Johnson City)
79 - Mt. Carmel, Goodfield (Cleveland)
80 - Mount Crest (Chattanooga)
80 - Chalybeate Springs (Kingsport)
81 - McFerrin (Kingsport)
81 - Grace (Chattanooga)
81 - Benton (Cleveland)
82 - Aldersgate (Wytheville)
83 - Pisgah (Tazewell)
84 - Logans Chapel (Kingsport)
85 - Mt. Olivet (Tazewell)
86 - Falls Mills (Tazewell)
88 - French Broad Circuit (Knoxville)
89 - Mt. Zion, Dandridge (Morristown)
90 - Bales Chapel (Morristown)
90 -Ketron Memorial (Kingsport)
93 - Love's Memorial (Morristown)
94 - Fairview, Hixson (Chattanooga)
95 - Jordan's Chapel (Wytheville)
95 - St. Mark (Kingsport)
95 - Emory (Kingsport)
97 - Midway Memorial (Big Stone Gap)
97 - Hunt's Chapel (Morristown)
99 - Sand Mountain (Chattanooga)
100 - Rock Springs (Kingsport)
106 - Parrottsville (Morristown)
107 - Mt. Vernon (Big Stone Gap)
108 - Flintstone (Chattanooga)
109 - Virginia Avenue (Tazewell)
110 - Bethesda (Johnson City)
111- Grant's Chapel (Morristown)
112 - Ross Campground (Kingsport)
117 - Pine Grove (Morristown)
118 - Ottway (Morristown)
120 - Okolona (Kingsport)
121 - St. Matthew (Kingsport)
124 - White Oak (Chattanooga)
125 - Floyd Circuit (Wytheville)
125 - Strawberry Plains (Morristown)
126 - Hardins Chapel (Morristown)
128 - McKendree (Chattanooga)
129 - Mountain View (Maryville)
129 - Three Bells (Big Stone Gap)
129 - Pikeville (Chattanooga)
130 - First Narrows (Tazewell)
131 - Eden (Johnson City)
131 - First Madisonville (Maryville)
134 - Bethel Amherst (Knoxville)
137 - Daisy (Cleveland)
143 - Simpson (Chattanooga)
144 - Reynolds Memorial (Abingdon)
145 - Pleasant Grove, Jasper (Chattanooga)
150 - Centenary (Morristown)
151 - Mount Carmel (Kingsport)
157 - Main Street (Tazewell)
157 - South Bristol (Abingdon)
158 - Wesley Memorial (Chattanooga)
158 - Liberty Hill (Morristown)
161 - Romeo (Morristown)
162 - St. Elmo (Chattanooga)
164 - Wheeler (Kingsport)
167 - First Surgoinsville (Kingsport)
171 - Kendricks Creek (Kingsport)
172 - Kingsley (Kingsport)
173 - Anderson Street (Abingdon)
174 - Mt. Zion, Afton (Morristown)
179 - East Ridge (Chattanooga)
183 - Blountville (Kingsport)
193 - Harrison (Chattanooga)
196 - Wauhatchie (Chattanooga)
197 - Greene County Parish (Johnson City)
198 - Vermont (Kingsport)
200 - Mosheim Central (Morristown)
202 - St. Luke (Chattanooga)
214 - Staffordsville Circuit (Tazewell)
220 - Trinity, Morristown (Morristown)
220 - Dunlap (Chattanooga)
221 - Noe's Chapel (Morristown)
222 - First Rich Creek (Tazewell)
222 - Crossroads (Kingsport)
223 - Auburn (Wytheville)
224 - First Pearisburg (Tazewell)
227 - Hillcrest (Knoxville)
232 - Lebanon Memorial (Abingdon)
240 - First Copperhill (Cleveland)
243 - Colonial Heights (Knoxville)
244 - First Rogersville (Kingsport)
248 - First Galax (Wytheville)
267 - First Dayton (Cleveland)
268 - Piney Flats (Johnson City)
270 - Bookwalter (Knoxville)
281 - LaFollette (Oak Ridge)
281 - Elizabethton (Johnson City)
283 - Luminary (Oak Ridge)
284 - Glen Alpine (Kingsport)
284 - First Church Hill (Kingsport)
305 - Salem (Kingsport)
305 - First Knoxville (Knoxville)
307 - Spring City (Cleveland)
317 - First Jefferson City (Morristown)
322 - Middlesettlements (Maryville)
326 - Trinity, Greeneville (Morristown)
326 - Mafair (Kingsport)
326 - Mountain View (Kingsport)
346 - First Bluefield (Tazewell)
356 - Cassidy (Kingsport)
368 - Edgefield (Johnson City)
374 - Colonial Heights (Kingsport)
404 - St. John (Chattanooga)
405 - Trenton (Chattanooga)
407 - St. Paul (Wytheville)
428 - Tyner (Chattanooga)
431 - Bearden (Knoxville)
447 - Jones Memorial (Chattanooga)
456 - Shady Grove (Morristown)
472 - First Sevierville (Maryville)
483 - Kodak (Knoxville)
518 - Brainerd (Chattanooga)
520 - First Hillsville (Wytheville)
531 - Ebenezer (Knoxville)
583 - Wesley Memorial (Cleveland)
884 - Middlebrook Pike (Knoxville)
901 - First Morristown (Morristown)
1,092 - Ooltewah (Cleveland)
1,125 - First Oak Ridge (Oak Ridge)
1,219 - Burks (Chattanooga)
1,225 - Fountain City (Knoxville)
1,302 - First-Centenary (Chattanooga)
1,465 - Munsey Memorial (Johnson City)
1,489 - First Broad Street (Kingsport)
1,666 - Concord (Oak Ridge)
1,785 - Church Street (Knoxville)
6,123 - Cokesbury (Knoxville)
See also:
"Final list: 240 churches report Easter worship attendances" (The Call, April 12, 2010)
Didn't make the first round? Send your Easter Sunday total to thecall@holston.org for an updated and final list in the next issue. The total may include Easter sunrise services -- but should not include Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, egg hunts, or other Holy Week gatherings. Pastors or lay leaders should submit worship totals to prevent conflicting numbers.