MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ — More than 100 children anxiously waited for the helicopter.
Several airplanes passed. Then a drone. And, finally, the moment they were all waiting for — colorful Easter eggs filled with candy and prizes dropped on the grounds of Liquid Church in Mountainside.
“We will do anything short of sin to reach people for Jesus,” said Mountainside Campus Pastor Denise Barone. “We believe Jesus is our living water. Everyone is refreshed by Jesus.”
While the children waited for the egg drop, a DJ played music and the Easter Bunny danced with children.
Vincent Chang, a Springfield resident who moved here from Taiwan with Ingrid Huang and their 5-year-old son Ray, said, “This is interesting for us. It’s a new culture. People are nice. Everything’s perfect.”
Alexa Ciccone, of Green Brook, was at the church for the first time with her 1-year-old daughter Colette and her 5-year-old son, Steven. “It was so interactive,” she said. “Everyone is so nice and warm. A nice celebration of the Resurrection.”
Kathy Halasz has been coming to Liquid Church since 2017. She’s a member and a volunteer. “In the Toddler Room, we had two brand new families,” she said. “They left smiling and happy. They had so much fun. We show a video with a Bible story. They do crafts and dance to worship music. It’s really so much fun for the kids. Parents can enjoy church service, knowing their kids are having their own service.”
During Easter Weekend, Liquid Church hosted 27 Easter services across its seven locations in New Jersey, plus a Church Online Easter experience.
Liquid Church is a non-denominational Bible-based church. It’s one of New Jersey’s fastest-growing Christian churches. It was officially launched in 2007 by lead pastor Tim Lucas. It has seven campuses in Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset and Union counties.
Each week, approximately 5,000 people experience Liquid Church worship services in New Jersey and around the globe through their services online. As part of its global outreach, Liquid Church provides clean drinking water to those in need, with hundreds of completed wells in Africa and Central America. Liquid Church’s innovative approaches to outreach and ministry have been spotlighted by NPR, CNN and Time magazine.
There is no dress code at Liquid Church. They have a casual “come-as-you-are” atmosphere. Jeans, T-shirts and flip-flops are welcome.
For more information, visit: www.LiquidChurch.com.
Photos by Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta