Easter sunrise services are traditional around the world and most of them are “traditional.”

However, here in Pike County, one of the Easter sunrise services will be different from most others.

Riders from The Burning Bush Cowboy Church will mount their horses at 5 a.m. on Easter Sunday and escort a cross-carrying donkey along U.S. Highway 231 south of Troy to the cowboy church near Cattleman Park.

Church pastor Alvie Walker said the cross-bearing donkey is symbolic of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Morning.

“We’ll have about 10 riders who will saddle up and ride up to South Alabama Electric Co-op,” Walker said. “From there, we will escort the donkey to the church on Parron Church Road. We’ll tie up our horses and hold our Easter Service around the campfire and then have breakfast.”

Walker said the public is invited to attend the Easter sunrise service at The Burning Bush Cowboy Church as well as the activities on Friday night and Saturday.

“At 7 o’clock on Friday night, we’ll show ‘The Passion of Christ’ at the church,” Walker said. “On Saturday, we’ll have games and activities for all ages. If people want to bring their horses and ride with us on Saturday, they are welcome. We’ll have a nighttime Easter egg hunt for kids where we hide the eggs out in the pasture and they hunt them with flashlights. It’s a lot of fun and everybody is invited.”

Other Easter Sunrise Services are held around the county.

The City of Brundidge has been hosting Easter Sunrise Services for a decade or more.  In recent years, the community-wide sunrise service has been held at Bulldog Stadium. This year’s service will be at 6:30 a.m. at the stadium with the Rev. Ed Shirley, pastor of Brundidge United Methodist Church, delivering the Easter message.

In the event of inclement weather, the service will be held at Brundidge Station on South Main Street.

Following the Easter Sunrise Service, those in attendance are invited to breakfast at Brundidge Station.

An Easter Sunrise Service will also be held at Green Hills Funeral Home in Troy at 7 a.m. with the Rev. Lamont Herrington delivering the Easter message. Following the sunrise service, refreshments and breakfast will be available for the attendees.