Under clear blue skies, the lawn in front of Craig’s New Creation Church came to life on Saturday with the laughter, footsteps and joyful shouts of children sprinting in search of Easter treasures.

Now in its 13th year, the annual Easter Egg Hunt hosted by the church is more than just an event—it’s a tradition stitched into the fabric of the Yampa Valley community. For pastors Jason and Tracey Haskell, the event’s volunteers and the families who return year after year, it’s become a celebration of faith, unity and unconditional generosity.

For the Haskells, who founded the New Creation Church in Craig in 2001 as a branch of the Glenwood Springs congregation, the Easter egg hunt is an extension of their life’s calling and a personal source of joy.

“For me, it’s the call of God in my life that I recognized a long time ago,” Jason said. “This gives us an opportunity to show the generosity of God and the abundance of the love of Christ.”

Tracey added, “I just love people and I love kids and I love seeing their smiling faces. It’s such a minor thing in the overall scheme of things, but it’s a joy, and it brings families together in a fulfilling way.”

The idea for the event came from New Creation’s mother church. With its popularity and success in bringing the community together, Jason and Tracey decided to use it as a model for a similar event in Craig.

“We had a team of four go down and see what they did,” said Tracey. “We decided to do it because we really wanted to impact our community, and the kids in our community, and bless them and show the love of God to them.”

That spirit of joyful service towards the area’s youth sparked a legacy in Craig.

What started as a small gathering, with just a handful of children from the church and surrounding neighborhoods, has since grown into an event that draws hundreds, despite the fact that the spring weather is not always cooperative. Through sun, snow, or even a pandemic, the church has remained committed to offering this celebration to the community every year. 

“During COVID, we did a drive-thru because we had already planned for it,” Tracey said. “We had people drive through the parking lot and we gave out eggs. We just grabbed bags, stuffed them and then blessed the kids that way as much as we could.”

Jason said the resolve of the volunteers that year, and the event occuring in the midst of a pandemic, served as proof of the community-oriented nature of the Easter Egg hunt. Since many of the items that were to be given out were purchased before the pandemic struck, it was a matter of logistics about how it would work. 

Since then, the same spirit, resolve and want to make children smile and laugh has driven the event to higher levels every year. 

“It’s fun for us,” Tracey said. “We have an amazing church family. We all work really well together.”

Months of work goes into preparing for the big day, as volunteers often begin packing the plastic eggs as early as October as they sort them and fill bags with hundreds at a time. Sometimes, volunteers and members of New Creation’s congregation take the projects home and continue working on them there.  

“Stuffing 25,000 eggs, you know, it takes a while,” said Jason with a laugh. 

From the eggs themselves to the prizes and giveaways, nearly everything is provided through the generosity of the church’s congregation and community sponsors. That spirit of giving is something the pastors see as a reflection of Craig’s character.

“One person purchases it,” Tracey said of the estimated 22,000 pieces of candy used to fill the eggs. “The church buys the toys for some of them and we have $300 of dollar coins that we put in them as well.”

Support also comes from local organizations and businesses including Walmart, Severson Supply & Rental, Sheriff KC Hume, the sheriff’s office, Lorraine Counts and food truck vendors such as Skippa & Lisa’s Island Cuisine, all of whom show up to make the event meaningful for the community.

This year’s giveaway items included gift cards, Easter baskets and bikes, which were purchased by the congregation.

“For the most part, it’s donations from our congregation that have a heart to bless the community,” Jason said. “The church is invested in it and the community is as well. We’re excited to be a blessing.”

Volunteers, often numbering between 30 to 50 over the course of the event’s planning and execution, reflect the roots of a community deeply dedicated to faith and connection through service to others. 

“The heart of faith and generosity, and helping and connecting, is something that is deeply rooted here,” Jason said of Moffat County. “People want to connect with their neighbors and support others.”

The fulfillment for the church’s community comes from the obvious joy and togetherness of parents and children that is on display during the hunt. And, in addition to the treasures that are found in the Easter eggs scattered across the lawn, many have found a faith-based community that helps them through hard times.

“We have seen people that have come to this that ended up coming to the church and then giving their hearts to Christ,” Jason said.

Additionally, there have been powerful moments that came quietly.

Tracey recalled a time when an individual walked up to her during the giveaways after the hunt, and offered to cover any mishaps that might occur with the drawings. 

“Mishaps had never happened before. Never,” she said. “Five minutes later, it happened. And I said ‘that was God’s hand’.”

And at the heart of it all, beyond the gold coins and bicycles, beyond the sound systems and candy, is a simple message of grace.

“Eggs are just eggs,” Jason said. “But, this is a way to show God’s generosity and his nature towards people to come and receive.”