Across Alabama on Easter Sunday, thousands of worshipers gathered to celebrate the most significant day on the Christian calendar, with some churches welcoming crowds large enough to fill small towns.

At Lake Martin’s Church in the Pines, an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 people flocked to the open-air, waterfront chapel. Worshipers arrived by foot, car, and boat, filling the 800-seat A-frame structure and spilling out across the surrounding hillsides. Even those who couldn’t find a seat stayed to join in the singing under the spring sky.

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Among those in attendance was Governor Kay Ivey, who sat in the front row during the lakeside service. The Easter message was delivered by Mike Densmore, a retired Methodist pastor who serves as the resident chaplain for Church in the Pines, Radney Family Children’s Chapel, and Children’s Harbor.

Built in 1953 as a pine straw arbor and later expanded in 1956, Church in the Pines is a longstanding fixture at Lake Martin. The tradition of worshipers arriving by boat remains a hallmark of the non-denominational congregation, which draws visitors from across the country each summer.

Meanwhile, in Auburn, Auburn Community Church drew a crowd of around 10,000 to Neville Arena, the Auburn University basketball facility known as “The Jungle.” The venue typically holds 9,100 for basketball games, but church organizers added about 1,000 folding chairs on the arena floor to accommodate the Easter crowd.

Founded in 2014 by a handful of local families, Auburn Community Church has grown rapidly into a multigenerational congregation. Its mission emphasizes passionate faith over “cultural Christianity,” a theme that resonates with both students and families in the Auburn area and beyond.

Sherri Blevins is a writer for Mountain Valley News and a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].