Legendary Easter Breakfast & Service
The community is warmly invited to The Lutheran Church of Arcata’s festive celebrations on Easter Sunday, March 31st. The parish is located between the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and the Arcata Community Forest at 151 East 16th Street, Arcata.
Festivities begin with a traditional Easter Sunrise Service at 7 a.m. — offering early-risers a positive way to greet the rising sun in a beautiful, music-and-light-filled sanctuary, itself ensconced within a natural cathedral of towering redwoods.
By 8 a.m., the church kitchen will be humming with activity, welcoming hungry guests to the enjoyment of an Arcata culinary tradition first begun when the town was young. When this breakfast tradition began in the early 1950’s, Arcata was populated by just over 3,700 people and Humboldt State College was attended by 750 students. Back then, Arcata was called “the lumber center of the West,” and was known also for its fine fishing and hunting, as well as a good dairy industry. Also back then, they really knew how to put out a breakfast spread! This is the heritage of The Lutheran Church of Arcata’s Legendary Easter Breakfast, unchanged and stubbornly unimproved since 1953! The full-service breakfast, featuring a sit-down menu of home-roasted ham, tender-scrambled eggs, crispy hashbrowns, buttery toast, fresh fruit, homemade baked goods, orange juice, and authentic church coffee will be served continuously, 8–10 a.m. Free-will donations are welcomed and will support the congregation‘s Mattole Family Camp this summer.
At 10 a.m., all are invited to celebrate Easter through an uplifting worship service showcasing a traditional Lutheran Divine Liturgy, passed down through the centuries, interspersed with a wide variety of contemporary and traditional music, scripture readings, prayer, reflection, and lots of singing. The service will be highlighted by the celebration of Holy Communion, a commemoration of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples. Lutherans, a Christian denomination historically known as “the singing church,” will indeed live up to that moniker on Easter Sunday in Arcata. A diverse variety of jubilant music is in the offing, from literally “pulling out the stops” on its authentic Schlicker pipe organ for traditional hymn singing (accompanied by horns), to contemporary music lead by a rockin‘ Praise Band, to choral music presented by The Lutheran Church of Arcata Choir. Services will be led by Pastor Taylor Hagbo.
After church, there will be a super fun Easter egg hunt for the kids, and time for hanging out with a casual cup of coffee and some delicious baked goods from the Easter Breakfast.
People of every stripe and creed, Christians and non-Christians, spiritual seekers, and those who simply want to start their Easter with an incredible historical breakfast are warmly welcome to join us at The Lutheran Church of Arcata Easter Sunday morning for any of these festivities.
The Lutheran Church of Arcata is unique in Lutherandom for maintaining affiliation with both major Lutheran Synods, despite the Synods’ sometimes theologically/politically contentious relationship. The Arcata congregation, comprised of both ELCA and LC-MS affiliates, emphasizes Christ’s unifying love and grace, and strives in a small way to reflect Jesus’s prayer that all believers “be one” [John 17:21]. In addition to its focus on Christ’s ecumenical Gospel message, The Lutheran Church of Arcata is notable also for its beautiful architecture and setting. Designed by local architect, Marvin Trump, and constructed in the early 1970’s (to replace previous facilities taken by eminent domain for the highway through Arcata), the church’s sanctuary is a gorgeous light-filled space, tucked into a redwood forest at the edge of the Cal Poly Humboldt campus and the City of Arcata’s Redwood Park.
DATES/TIMES
WHERE
PRICE
