On Saturday, March 30, OneChurch in Whitesboro hosted its sixth annual community-wide Easter Egg Hunt at Godwin Park.
Each year, OneChurch invites everyone in the community to join in the fun. Erik Mendenhall, Youth and Outreach Pastor at OneChurch, began the event with a prayer and a message about what they, as a body of believers, feel Easter is truly about -- the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Under the park pavilion, church members served 340 hot dogs and water, passed out 200 goodie bags for children, provided photo opportunities for families and even had a live bunny for children to pet and take pictures with. The park was sectioned out by age groups, where a huge egg hunt was held for all of the children in attendance. These eggs were filled with treats and trinkets and, for the second year, some held slips of paper for larger prizes, like a bicycle, inflatable slide and toddlers’ toys.
One resident said this event is something her family looks forward to every year. Another resident, Rosa Guajardo, said she has been living in Whitesboro for about three years and this is her first time attending the event. She found out about it once she and her family started attending OneChurch.
“I think it’s a good thing that they’re doing for the kids,” Guajardo said. “I like that they can be in their designated areas [by age group]. That way it can be easier on the parents.”
Mayor Dave Blaylock was present and excited to see many residents come out and enjoy the event with their families.
“I’ve recently noticed a great increase in residents on social media wanting to come together and meet their neighbors,” Blaylock said. “This event is one of many great opportunities in Whitesboro for residents to come out, get to know their neighbors and enjoy the festivities.”
Tiffany Willis, Ministry Assistant and Early Childhood Minister at OneChurch, said this year was a great turn-out with over 350 people in attendance.
“We ended up stuffing around 10,000 eggs instead of the 8,000 originally planned, due to all the candy donations,” Willis said. OneChurch plans on seeing if next year they can top this year’s 10,000 candy-stuffed eggs.
“We are super excited to see what next year brings,” Willis said.
