Thousands of worshippers expected to fill stadiums
On Sunday, tens of thousands of worshippers are expected to fill the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, for what is being billed as the USA’s largest Easter service - and certainly one of the most extravagant.
New Birth Missionary Baptist Church is one of the few US churches with a congregation large enough to fill a stadium.
The Potter’s House Ministries in Dallas also will hold its first Easter service at Reunion Arena.
Organisers of that celebration are predicting 20,000 worshippers.
The insignia of suburban Atlanta’s New Birth will loom large over the crowd, which organisers estimate will swell to 40,000, including most of the church’s 25,000 members and thousands of homeless and poor who are offered free haircuts, hot showers and new clothes on site.
For both of these so-called megachurches, the services are a rare opportunity for their massive congregations to meet under one roof at the same time, and for them to worship alongside the less fortunate – many of whom watch wide-eyed at the extravaganza.
