An annual Maryville College tradition, the 2025 Easter Sunrise Service will be held April 20
March 31, 2025
The weather is slowly changing from frost–covered evergreens to later sunrises and blossoming flower buds as spring gently approaches. At the same time as the changing seasons, Maryville College Chaplain Rev. Jessica Kitchens Lewis ’07 is preparing for her first year organizing the College’s annual Easter Sunrise Service.
The yearly worship service will take place at 6:45 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, on Lloyd Beach, the grassy field across Circle Drive from Lloyd Hall, amidst the changing trees and dew-covered grass. As Lewis describes, it’s a morning full of wonder, and an honor for Christians to gather together to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
“I hope the MC community, as well as our Maryville community members who join us for this annual tradition, will be inspired by the story that is the bedrock of our Christian faith, but also, I hope it will encourage them to be curious,” Lewis said.
She explains how in her eyes, many of God’s ways are beyond the scope of human comprehension, and she hopes that those who attend the service leave with a clearer lens through which they can better view the world.
The Maryville College Easter Sunrise Service has been a tradition since 1918, started by Rev. Dr. William Patton Stevenson, the Maryville College faith leader who came to East Tennessee from the pastorate of First Presbyterian Church in Yonkers, New York. Its location has been through changes since its conception, beginning in the center of campus, moving to the Maryville College Woods, and finally landing at its most recent location on Lloyd Beach.
The annual service is both an acknowledgment and a continuation of the College’s close ties to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and deep roots in Christianity. In addition to a Faith and Learning statement, the Center for Campus Ministry (CCM) offers weekly Chapel service at 1:15 p.m. every Tuesday. This year’s Chapel service theme is “Live Out Love,” Lewis said, and is meant to emphasize the love that is shared through “acts of others, our community, and in Scripture.”
The Easter service is designed to demonstrate how God’s love manifests on Earth, even from beyond the grave of Christ, she added.
“I love how immersive the experience is: The feel of the cool breeze, the smell of the grass, the sight of the sun coming up over the mountains, and the sound of the birds singing as we lift our voices too,” Lewis said.
The event is collaborative among the staff members of the CCM, being planned by Lewis, Associate Chaplain Rev. Paul Earhart Brown ’15 and Interim Director of Interfaith Ministry Jamie Webster. There will be music from Jordan McCullough ’18, chief of staff to Maryville College President Dr. Bryan F. Coker, and his wife, Maddie Carpenter McCullough ’18. Lewis’ sermon, she said, will be titled “Undying Love.”
Easter is a time for togetherness and celebration, Lewis explained, and MC’s Easter Sunrise Service aims to be a safe space for all of the Maryville community.
For questions regarding the event, please contact Lewis at jessica.lewis@maryvillecollege.edu.
Written by Lilli Bryan ’25