SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Hundreds of members of the Springfield community will gather at Hammons Field on Sunday, March 27 for the 11th Annual Greater Springfield Sunrise Celebration service.
The service will start at 6:45 a.m. Gates open at 6:15, and the Salvation Army will be providing a beverage truck that will serve free coffee and hot chocolate before the service.
The sunrise service is nondenominational and open to all. Parking is free in the parking lots and parking garage across from the stadium.
There is no entry fee, although an offering is taken. The money from the offering is given directly to the Springfield Cardinals organization, where it is divided among several of the Cardinals’ children’s charities.
Highlights
This year, the Rev. Hosea Bileyu, retired pastor of Ridgecrest Baptist Church, is the speaker.
A male quartet, comprised of John Ashcroft, Dwight Colbaugh, Phil Wieneke, and Jim Williams, will sing. Ashcroft will also be the song leader.
Aaron and Amanda Pearson will give their testimony. Pearson is the Springfield policeman who was shot in the head in January 2015. The Pearsons will share how their faith, along with the tremendous support from the Springfield community, is sustaining them during the extended recovery period.
The service will take place rain or shine. In the event of rain, it will move indoors to the Cardinals’ training facility.
Evangel University connections
Evangel archivist Shirley Shedd and her husband Glenroy are on the planning committee for the service, and have been on the committee for the last 10 years. Shedd is a professor emeritus of communication at Evangel.
“The whole focus of the event is that Christ arose,” said Shedd.
John Shows, professor emeritus of music at Evangel University, coordinates the music, including the Triumphant Trumpets, which include several Evangel students, faculty and alumni among other community members.
The song leader is John Ashcroft, former U.S. Attorney General, Missouri Governor, and a son of the second president of Evangel.
The pianist for the service is Valorie Wieneke, a 1975 graduate of Evangel. In the male quartet, Colbaugh, Wieneke, and Williams are also Evangel alumni.
Shedd said that the service is planned to last about 45 minutes.
For additional information, contact Shirley Shedd at (417) 865-2815, ext. 7357.
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PHOTOS BY: Paul K. Logsdon