ECCC Easter Message

Dear Friends,

During Spring Break, my family took a trip to Mammoth Cave National Park, and my daughters insisted on packing for themselves. When I checked my 5-year-old’s suitcase, it was mostly stuffed animals, 2 pairs of pajamas, and some candy. So we sat together and talked through our trip-what we would need, and what should probably stay home.

There’s a difference between being ready and being ready together.

This is the story at the heart of Easter.

On the night before his death, Jesus gathered with his friends around a table. He broke bread, washed their feet, and showed them that love is something we live out with one another. And when everything fell apart—when fear and grief scattered them—Easter morning came not to individuals alone, but to a community being gathered back together.

The resurrection is not just about new life.
It is about new life together.

At ECCC, we see this every day. In camps and conference centers across our network, people encounter God not in isolation, but in community. We encounter around campfires, in shared cabins, through laughter, vulnerability, and belonging. In a world that teaches us to go it alone, this ministry reminds us: we are formed, healed, and made ready together.

This Easter, we celebrate that Christ is risen and still gathering us.

Not because we are fully ready,
but because this is how God makes us ready.

Even when we don’t quite know how to pack for what’s ahead,
we don’t have to do it alone.

We do it together.

With gratitude,
Jess