This past Easter Sunday, a sunrise service was hosted at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort at the top of the Gondola. This service has been a tradition for 20 years, but this year it was a little different.
After the passing of John Parry, the creator of the service and beloved member of the Kicking Horse community, the future of the event was uncertain, but the community continued the tradition in honour of John. In his own words, TJ Robinson, Area Director of Golden Young Life and leader of the service, shared the following:
“Easter Sunday. Sunrise Service. John Parry. What do the three of these have in common?
Joy, gratitude, love, and a message shared of hope that’s evident to all.
For the past 20 years, the message has been the same, and it has always had John’s flair to it each year. What started in 2006 with a conversation between Steve Paccagnan and John as a simple “What if…” has now become a staple of Easter Sundays that fall within the ski season.
Each year, locals who ski and those who don’t gather together to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain to participate in God’s beauty and a hope-filled message of Jesus conquering death and rising from the grave.
I’ve been able to be part of these services since 2022, and it’s felt like each year has had a “standout” moment that made me remember something special about the service that made it unique.
This year’s unique moment was not physically having John there with us for the first time since he started this tradition. What made it special was seeing the community come together to make sure the tradition lives on.
Kicking Horse provided passes for one round trip, hot chocolate and coffee for attendees in exchange for donations to the Golden Food Bank.
Josh Parry, Gillian Parry, and Tessa Treadway keep their dad’s flair within the message.
Lauren Woods led the crowd through two songs and got the crowd to sing in worship together to Ain’t No Grave, written by Molly Skaggs, with the sun breaking through the clouds and shining on the faces of everyone the moment the song came to its final chorus.
“There ain’t no grave gonna hold His body down.”
There’s no denying that this Sunrise Service was larger than usual and had a different feel. That’s naturally what happens when someone who loves their neighbour so well passes away.
John did this on the hill so well, for so many people, for so many years. Always with a smile.
It was such a gift to still share in the space that John had created for all of us, the Sunrise Service.
Through his actions and his kids’ words, we “get to choose faith over fear, gratitude over bitterness, and hope over despair.”
Or as John would remind us each year on top of the mountain, “He Is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Hallelujah!”
