Easter Activities

It all began in 1988 when the word got out that there were to be no prayers at the official opening of our new Parliament House. The Christian community was shocked into action with 50,000 Christians gathering on that weekend to pray. It was in this setting that the movement which was to become affectionately as the "Awakening" was born. The unity of the church experienced there, and the extraordinary spirit of prayer and a love for the nation ignited a commitment to influence the course of this nation's history.

The Reclaim Easter program was the next step for Christians nationwide to continue this dream, and it has manifested itself in a number of ways, including: Good Friday Prayer Vigils, Easter festivals held in the lead up to Easter, Mayoral prayer breakfasts and the National Easter Sunday marches of witness and celebration.

Good Friday Prayer Vigils are an opportunity for Christians to get together and to pray for their local community, and for national and international concerns. It is also a chance to offer this gift of prayer to the community, particularly primary children, who will write out their prayers to be prayed by those involved in the vigil.

Local Community Festivals have been run with much success in many areas of Tasmania and Australia. The general purpose of an outreach festival is to create a setting where Christians have an opportunity to interface with their non-Christian friends and in a warm and Australian way raise some of the core issues of Christianity. The goal is to create an open crowd where visitors feel welcome and Christians can bring their friends and neighbours to participate in a range of family based activities. The context of the Easter festival thus provides a setting in which the good news of Christ's own story can be shared, ofte