Hyderabad’s Christian community welcomes Easter with sunrise services and songs of Hope

Easter Sunday in Secunderabad: Churches filled with worshippers, hymns echoing, families celebrating with faith, food, and togetherness.

As dawn barely touched the horizon, the lanes around Secunderabad’s Clock Tower and Sarojini Devi Nagar had already sprung to life. It was just past 5 a.m. on Sunday (April 20, 2025), and the streets echoed not with the usual weekday rush but with the gentle hum of cars, the soft shuffle of polished shoes, and the rustle of pastel sarees. Families were making their way to churches to celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the holiest day on the Christian calendar.

By the time the sun began to rise, the Centenary Baptist Church was already filled. Every row of chairs was nearly occupied, with a few empty seats scattered in between. A choir stood at the front, their voices lifting into the still-morning air, singing hymns dedicated to Jesus. The sound spilled out onto the main road, where passersby could hear the melodies.

At Wesley Church, the atmosphere was no less vibrant. Reverend Mettu Wilson, the Presbyter-in-charge, addressed the congregation with a message of resurrection and hope. As the heat began to build, many congregants gravitated towards seats near coolers, hoping to find comfort as they listened. Every seat near the altar was taken.

Meanwhile, at St. John the Baptist Church, chairs were arranged beyond the church doors to accommodate the overflow of attendees. By 6.30 a.m., the service was winding down with a rousing Easter hymn, a fitting end to a service that had begun before daybreak.

Some of the city’s most heritage churches held their traditional Sunrise Services, a moving tradition that begins in the darkness before dawn and leads worshippers into the light, mirroring the resurrection story. At CSI Garrison Wesley Church in Trimulgherry and Holy Trinity Church in Bolarum, the faithful gathered as early as 4.30 a.m. At Garrison Wesley Church, Rev. Priscilla Reuben Mark, wife of Bishop M. Rueben Mark of the CSI Medak Diocese, delivered the Easter message, while Malkajgiri MLA Marri Rajasekhar Reddy joined the congregation, greeting the early risers.

Over at All Saints Church, Rev. Ben Komanapally led the morning message. And at CSI Holy Trinity Church, guest speaker Rev. Peter Wigg, Director of Shining Stars Centres, delivered a sermon under the gentle glow of stained glass.

In Miyapur, the Poddakal family celebrated Easter with four generations under one roof. In the warmth of their home, 62-year-old Shailaja Poddakal watched her grandchildren break open chocolate Easter eggs. “We don’t get to meet this often. This day is about togetherness, faith, food, and family,” she said.