Thousands flock to Hilton Head beaches for Easter sunrise services. Here's when and where
An Easter sunrise service on the beach is one of Hilton Head Island's oldest traditions.
First Baptist Church has organized a community service as the sun peeks over the Atlantic Ocean since 1957, with crowds reaching 1,500.
This Sunday's service will be the last for the Rev. John Keller, who is retiring this month after serving First Baptist as pastor for more than 24 years.
Lois Richardson remembers that first sunrise service.
A pastor from Ridgeland came over with a piano strapped to a flatbed truck. They set up on the beach at Coligny Circle.
“It’s something that’s very special to Christians,” said Richardson, whose late husband, Norris, was busy in 1957 crafting what would become Coligny Plaza. The church was formed in their home in 1956 — the same year the first bridge to Hilton Head opened.
“When you watch that sun come up over the water, it’s a special feeling you get.
And from that service, a lot of other special things arose on Hilton Head.
In the early 1970s, it was used as a chance to bring the races together on the island.
A second sunrise service was set up in a historic Gullah neighborhood at the old Hilton Head Blue Jays baseball field overlooking Port Royal Sound at the end of Beach City Road. A white pastor, probably First Baptist’s Wilford Lee, went there to preach. And on the south end, as the sun rose on Easter Sunday 1973, the African American Rev. Ben Williams made his debut appearance on the island.
The beloved pastor of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist, who died in 2016 after leading Mt. Calvary for more than 40 years, didn’t yet have a church, but he had a message: “Come See for Yourself.”
From that Easter morning pulpit exchange — suggested by Charles E. Fraser, the founder of Sea Pines, and Isaac Wilborn, then the island's elementary school principal — grew many alliances.
Williams recalled being invited to preach at First Baptist and even baptizing people there. The Rev. Holland Clark asked Williams to bring his choir and preach at St. Luke’s Church. Williams joked about not being allotted enough time, but left members moved to tears.
Pulpits all over the island began to deliver the message that the races are not really all that different.
One Sunday, the Rev. Howard Sale of Christ Lutheran Church went to Mt. Calvary, and Williams, lovingly called “The Rev,” preached at Christ Lutheran. Williams held his crowd a little longer, giving the Mt. Calvary members time to bring a fellowship lunch for everyone to share.
Also, the Hilton Head Island Ministerial Alliance was born from these exchanges, which eventually had Williams speaking at the Temple Beth Yam synagogue, and the rabbi going to Mt. Calvary.
“When you see people face to face and get to know them, it gives you a better edge in how you treat one another and respect one another,” Williams said.
Here are Easter sunrise services on the beach that we know of for this Sunday, April 1, 2018:
▪ First Baptist Church of Hilton Head: 6:30 a.m. , next to Marriott's Grande Ocean Resort on South Forest Beach Drive. Park at the church, 100 S. Forest Beach Drive, and walk the bike path to the Alder Lane public beach access. Bring a flashlight.
▪ St. Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist Church: 7 a.m. at Coligny Beach. In the event of inclement weather, it will be held at the church, 20 Pope Ave.
▪ Grace Community Church and Hilton Head Presbyterian Church: 6:30 a.m. for refreshments, 6:45 a.m. for the service, at Driessen Beach Park at the end of Bradley Beach Road.
▪ Grace Community Church also will lead a service at 7 a.m. at The Shorehouse on the ocean at the Omni Hilton Head Resort behind the guard gates at Palmetto Dunes.
▪ Central Church: 7 a.m. at the Sonesta Resort in Shipyard, 130 Shipyard Drive.
▪ St. Helena Baptist Church, 6:30 a.m. at North Beach in the Hunting Island State Park.
This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Thousands flock to Hilton Head beaches for Easter sunrise services. Here's when and where."