Community Corner

Easter Celebration Planned for Temescal Gateway Park

Pastor of Santa Monica's Metro Calvary Chapel Church reflects on the founding of Pacific Palisades by the Camp Meeting and Chautauqua movement.

Hoping to rekindle some of the spirit of the early days of Pacific Palisades in the area now known as Temescal Gateway Park, a local church from Santa Monica is holding a community Easter celebration on Sunday, March 31. It includes a potluck brunch, music, and the message of the Resurrection.

The Easter service in the park is on Sunday, March 31 at 11 a.m. and an Easter egg hunt is planned for children afterward.

After some research, Pastor Steve Snook of Metro Calvary Chapel Church said he discovered that Pacific Palisades was founded in the 1920’s by the Camp Meeting and Chautauqua movement led by Methodist minister, Rev. Charles Scott. The reverend envisioned an elaborate commune that included both the religious and intellectual. Chautauqua Boulevard, which connects Sunset Boulevard to Pacific Coast Highway, is named for Scott’s educational Chautauqua-tent seminars.

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"For me this is very much about wanting to gather in this place for Easter where since the 1920s’ people gathered," Snook said.

Originated in 1874 on the shores of Chautauqua Lake in Southwestern New York State, Chautauqua assemblies were aimed at challenging the minds and spirits of its participants by offering families seasonal programs of lectures, music, elocution, and open discussion of public issues, literature, and science, according to historians. Some of the canyon's earliest structures are still in use.

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“The idea of a community Easter with some early fellowship and then music and the simple message of the Resurrection I think is appealing," Snook added. "It’s going to be a very casual gathering in this meadow amongst the sycamore trees. Bring your blanket and beach chairs."

For more information about the Easter celebration, click here.

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