By Oniska Blevins | The Selma Times-Journal

It will be an early start for some churches Sunday morning as they prepare for Easter sunrise services.

Local churches throughout Selma and Dallas County are waking up early to commemorate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church member Gail Box Ingram said Sunrise Service is a time of reflection and celebration.

“It’s a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus,” she said.

Ingram said the services start early in the morning at sunrise because that is the time of day Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome visited Jesus’ tomb and discovered he had risen from the dead.

Although her church will not be holding a sunrise service this year, Ingram said they have held the service in the past and believe it is important to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection because it is unique.

“There is no other god in history that did this,” she said.

“You can study Buddha, [but] he didn’t die and come back from the dead. He’s got some good teachings, but Jesus is the way, the truth and the light.”

The church celebrated Good Friday, the Friday before Jesus’ resurrection, Friday night at 7 p.m. with their Stations of the Cross event, which have 14 stations set up with pictures, where a priest would explain the different stations and how they represent the days leading up to the resurrection of Christ.

Churches in Selma and the surrounding communities having sunrise services are:

First Baptist Church in Orrville at 6 a.m., Mt. Olive No. 1 Missionary Baptist Church at 6 a.m. and Trinity Baptist Church in Marion at 6 a.m.