Southern Colorado Easter Sunday service tradition continues

FOUNTAIN, Colo. (KRDO) -- On Easter Sunday, a tradition lives on dating back to the year 1920 in Southern Colorado.

The service has been held at Garden of the Gods for over 100 years but was put on hold 21 years ago. Up until last year when it started at the Gateway Prayer Garden in Fountain.

"This is an annual event for the entire community," Reverend Gordon Klingenschmitt said. "There's people here from all different nations, races, and traditions."

Over 350 people showed up for the service, approximately 50 more than last year.

"It's a wonderful number because you feel like you're all part of a family celebrating," Gateway Prayer Garden Founder and CEO Audrey Beckett said.

It went from 6:30 to 7:30 Sunday morning as the sunrise came over the mountains.

"We've had this community service now this is our second year," Beckett said. "We started it last year when we realized it had been 20 years since they had a community-wide service at Garden of the Gods. We thought, what a wonderful thing they did all those years and we wanted to have one here at the Gateway Prayer Garden."

The atmosphere was set with a massive cross on the ground the size of a football field leading from the parking lot to the cross by the front podium, with scripture lining the walk of the length of the cross.

"It's 300 feet long, 200 feet wide, and on all of our prayer benches we have scripture stones," Beckett said.