There will be plenty of activities for young and old alike this weekend, as the Grand Old City celebrates Easter.

Friday

The Old Rugged Cross Church Foundation will host a special Good Friday Service at 1 p.m. at the chapel, located at 61041 Vermont St. in Pokagon Township. The service will consist of four half-hour segments, each led by a different pastor: Jeff Whittaker of Michiana Christian Embassy Assembly of God Church in Niles; Jim King of Living Way Foursquare Church in Michigan City; Clyde Root of Church of God in Osceola; and Virginia Heller of First United Methodist Church of South Haven.

The first three segments will
consist of scripture readings,
sermons and some music, while the last will consist solely of singing, which each of the three singers (Pastor Bertie Morgan and Molly Shaffer) addressing the perspectives of figures from the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, Shaffer, treasurer of the Old Rugged Cross Foundation, said.

This year marks the third service that Shaffer and her husband have organized at the Old Rugged Cross Church, a historical chapel they have owned and operated since 1998.

While visitors are free to drop in and out of the services as they please, the four-part service has proven to be quite compelling to the people who stop by.

“They may not get there in time for the first one, but when they do arrive, they usually stick around for the rest,” Shaffer said.

Unlike many churches that host Good Friday services during the evening, Shaffer said the foundation hosts its service during the day, as that is when Jesus suffered his ordeal.

The multi-denominational nature of the service also makes it stand out.

“By getting together with Christians of all different backgrounds and ways of worshipping, we broaden our horizons,” she said. “The more we know about each other, the more we forget about the differences in how we worship and come together for a common purpose.”

People are welcome to tour the historic chapel before or after the service, Shaffer said.

Saturday

Children who stop by the Dowagiac Shopko Saturday afternoon will be in for a treat — in more ways than one.

The Easter Bunny will stop by the local shopping center, located at 56419 Pokagon St., from 1 to 3 p.m. that day. The furry holiday fixture will be wandering around the front of the store, handing out candy to children.

Parents are welcome to take photographs of their children posing with the costumed character, said store supervisor Danielle Dilts.

“It is nothing too extravagant,” Dilts said. “It is something we do to bring the kids in, and to give parents a chance to take some photos.”

Sunday

On Easter Sunday, children will have another chance to score some candy, as well as some other sweet prizes.

Dowagiac’s Victory Tabernacle church, located at 608 Middle Crossing Road, will host its first ever VTKidz Easter Blast, beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Children will be invited to participate in a massive Easter Egg hunt around the church grounds that morning, with organizers placing 10,000 eggs for youth to search for. In addition, the church will be giving away several door prizes, including bikes for children and teenagers, as well as an Xbox One S and a Playstation 4.

While the children scramble for eggs outside, adults will be able to listen to a sermon titled “Arisen” by pastor Paul Hodge.

The pastor said the event is intended to get children more connected with the message of the holiday, as well as to give people who have never visited the church as chance to meet the clergy and members.

“Church can be fun, and we want them to see how much fun it can be,” Hodge said.