An Easter Eggstravaganza, which will include egg hunts and a retelling of the Easter story, will be presented at Middletown First Church of God on Saturday, March 30. At the event, themed "Follow Me," there will be several interactive learning stations that will illustrate Jesus' life, death and resurrection. Stations will begin at 11 a.m. and run continuously through 12:45 p.m.

Egg hunts for children up to fifth grade will begin at 1 p.m., and a light lunch will be available beforehand as well as a rock wall and face painting. There will also be an opportunity for attendees to win door prizes. All activities are free and open to the community.

One of the stations will depict the miracle when Jesus fed 5,000 people by multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish. "We will talk about how Jesus loved people so much that He fed them, and we will make fry bread to share with others," said congregation member Patty Kuharic, one of the event organizers. "We will have a griddle and make a flatbread on it which is similar to naan."

In the "Wise Man and Foolish Man" station, based on one of Jesus' parables, youngsters will try to build houses made of blocks on sand in keeping with God's teaching that the foolish man's house fell down because it was built on sand. "The message will be that children should build their house and their lives on Jesus," Kuharic said, noting the children will also decorate "Jesus" rocks.

One of the stations will celebrate Palm Sunday, were children will sing "Hosanna Rock!" while dancing and waving palm leaves. They will then make crosses out of the palm leaves. The purpose of the station is to remember how Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with palms laid in His path and only a week later people were calling for His crucifixion.

At the station where Peter denies Jesus before the rooster crows twice, there will be a live rooster. The message of the station will be that God wants to give everyone the strength to stand against the temptation to do the wrong thing. Organizers also want attendees to be reassured that God provides forgiveness.

In addition, children will be asked to write down their prayers on a small piece of paper and place it on a cross in the church sanctuary. In the Sunday school room, there will be angels and an empty tomb signifying that Jesus has risen.

At the final station, "Jesus Has Come Back to Life," Jesus will be cooking breakfast on the seashore for the disciples while speaking with Peter. (The characters will be portrayed by church members.) Children will toast fish sticks and chicken nuggets shaped like fish. The conversation will re-create when Jesus gave Peter a threefold command to "feed My sheep" in John 21:15-17. Each time Jesus said, "Feed My sheep," it was in response to Peter's declaration of love for Jesus. And finally Jesus said to Peter, "Follow Me!"

For the Easter egg hunts, children will be divided by age group. In preparation for the event, church volunteers are filling thousands of plastic Easter eggs with candy that children will be able to search for on the church property.

The event will be held rain or shine. Middletown First Church of God is located at 245 W. High St., Middletown. For more information, contact the church at 717-944-9608 or mdtcog@comcast.net or visit http://www.middletowncog.org or www.facebook.com/middletowncog.