SHILLONG/ TURA: The lockdown in the state in view of the COVID-19 outbreak in many parts of the country, including neighbouring Assam, was unable to dampen the spirit of Christian believers in the state with many families and localities celebrating Easter on Sunday.
People stayed indoors and took part in Mass and prayers streamed live by various churches to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Sunday after his crucifixion on the cross on Good Friday.
The celebration was low key in view of the countrywide lockdown.
In Garo Hills, people sat together in the safety of their homes and offered prayers and came out on balconies and lawns to sing hymns as part of the celebration.
Some localities of Tura town with the help of the locality development committees also organised sunrise services in their respective community halls. The worship services were held without the participation of children and elderly people of the community, while at the same time maintaining strict protocols of social distancing to ensure the safety of the participants.
Earlier on Saturday evening, two of the oldest Churches in the town — the Tura Baptist Church and the Catholic Church — had appealed to the members through the social media, to observe the occasion in their own homes. Instruction was also given by the Hawakhana Baptist Church.
Sunday’s worship service in homes and localities resonated with praises for Jesus with the singing of Christian worship hymns which included, ‘I serve the Risen Saviour’, ‘Teleman’s Chant’, ‘Jesus Christ is Risen Today’ and ‘Low in the Grave He Lay’.
While regular Church service with the involvement of the people remains suspended due to the lockdown, a special worship service conducted by two main Churches — the Tura Baptist Church and the Catholic Church — was streamed live for people to participate on various social media platforms including Facebook and YouTube.
More prayers
The citizens of North East and the rest of the country also joined hands with Meghalaya to pray and seek God’s blessings and the much needed strength when the world is faced with COVID-19 crisis.
The “Meghalaya Prays” initiative of Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, which was streamed live in various channels and social media platforms on Sunday at 6 pm, attracted the citizens and they took part in the hymns — “Amazing Grace” and “How Great Thou Art” with candles in their hands.
“This Easter Sunday, with the prayer and hymn that we had, I hope and believe that the strength of every person will go up. I am happy that the prayer has gone well,” Conrad said.
Thanking the people for their participation, Conrad said, “This is truly a blessing for all of us as it has brought people from different states and from different parts of the world together to pray for our nation and the world”.
Church Forum
The members of the Shillong Khasi Jaintia Church Leaders Forum (SKJCLF) also took part in the Meghalaya Prays initiative in response to the call of Conrad.
In a statement, the Forum said that this was a call to face together, the challenge of COVID-19. Exactly one month ago on March 12, the Forum had conducted a prayer for Meghalaya and the Chief Minister, his colleagues and several other leaders had participated.
The prayers and singing in English, Khasi and Garo of the hymns “Amazing Grace”, “How Great Thou Art”, and “Because He Lives I Can Face Tomorrow” resulted in the unity of participants across the state and beyond.
According to the Forum, Easter brings hope, resilience, kindness, peace, and healing to the world. The Forum also urged everyone to continue praying for the government and its units of administration at this time of crisis and challenge.
