A graveside sunrise service brings hope
by Tammy Warren | Presbyterians Today
The Rev. Leslie Dobbs-Allsopp and members of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey, have Easter sunrise service in the church’s historic graveyard. Bruce Frazier
On Jan. 6, 2021, the Rev. Leslie Dobbs-Allsopp recorded a sermon titled “Pandemic Graces,” her first sermon as interim senior pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey.
Unaware of the violent insurrection unfolding at the U.S. Capitol that very day, Dobbs-Allsopp preached to a camera set up near a stained-glass window in the sanctuary depicting Gen. George Washington receiving the sacrament of Holy Communion during an outdoor service in the orchard of the parsonage in 1777.
“One pandemic grace this year has afforded is to think deeply, pray deeply and listen carefully for the Spirit’s leading,” said Dobbs-Allsopp. She said it is a spiritual practice of hers to always be looking for glimpses of the Holy Spirit at work in the world, in her family and in the congregations she has supported.
“I’ve seen so many instances of God’s grace shining through the darkness of these times. I’ve witnessed the incredible energy, intelligence, imagination, love and creativity of Presbyterian congregations across New Jersey,” said Dobbs-Allsopp. “We are feeding hungry people, creating meaningful online worship, making great music happen, building community in creative ways and providing pastoral care and Christian education. We are so much more creative, flexible and adaptive than we ever believed we could be.”
“Preparing for New Life,” the congregation’s theme for Lent 2021, led Dobbs-Allsopp to suggest the church host a “drive-thru imposition of ashes” on Ash Wednesday. “It was freezing cold,” she said. “People came through all day. It was a great opportunity to meet people and a great ministry to the larger community.”
Last year the church held its first Easter sunrise service in its historic graveyard that dates to 1731. The cemetery includes a mass grave for victims of the smallpox outbreak in 1777 that claimed the lives of some 150 soldiers and 68 members of the congregation. Dobbs-Allsopp said it truly felt like “resurrection” to plan something where there would be people, even if it was a masked, socially distanced, bring-your-own-chair, bundled-up outdoor event.
“When we commit bodies to the ground, we say, ‘In the sure and certain hope of resurrection to eternal life,’ so why not resurrect our worshiping life together in the cemetery?” Dobbs-Allsopp asked.
Patrick Allred, director of youth and young adult ministries, assisted with the sound system setup and played the guitar during the 6:30 a.m. service. “I remember how thankful I was to look out and physically see people and know we were worshiping together,” he said. “At this service — the first in-person worship service since March 2020 — we were reminded that the tomb wasn’t the end for Christ. As a church, we are still abiding in the hope of resurrection and restoration, even amid a pandemic.”
“We gave out sunflower seeds on the way out and encouraged people to grow some new life,” said Dobbs-Allsopp. The success of the sunrise service provided the momentum needed to worship together in the parking lot of the other church building, located one-third mile away. This building had undergone a major renovation and had only been reopened for six months before the Covid shutdown.
Beginning Mother’s Day and continuing for five or six weeks, the congregation of the newly renovated building worshiped in the parking lot. Then they moved into the sanctuary in the summer and have been back to in-person worship ever since.
“This pandemic has offered us a kind of a reset button, a fresh start,” said Dobbs-Allsopp. “We know what matters to us, and we know where our commitments lie. This is our rebirth. This is the beginning. This is Genesis. God is creating something new in us and something new through us as the Spirit breathes fresh life into us.”
The Presbyterian Church in Morristown is a congregation of about 800 people, of whom about half are 55 and older. People all over the world are watching livestreamed services, Dobbs-Allsopp said. “God in Christ is not bound by what was or by human frailty or by coronavirus or by death or anything else.
“In raising Jesus, God has made everything new. God is about the work of empty tombs and resurrection — new life springing even out of death,” Dobbs-Allsopp said. “God in Christ can redeem the darkness, God in Christ can create new life, God in Christ can raise up something living from what was dead.
“Easter is about the new life that God raises up in us, through us in this world — not only in the world to come,” said Dobbs-Allsopp. “For me, the hope of resurrection is helping people think about new ways they can keep connected and new ways to do their ministries as safely as possible. It’s 85-year-old ladies Zooming in their circles or hybrid circles. It’s watching every week as someone new comes back who hasn’t been here, and they get swarmed with love.”
“It’s been a blast to be part of ‘incarnational resurrection,’” Dobbs-Allsopp said. “People have learned that they can learn, and I think people have learned that even with all the loss, all is well and God is with us.”
Tammy Warren is a retired communications associate with the Presbyterian Mission Agency.
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