Easter Sunday is essentially the Super Bowl for pastors — the biggest attendance day of the year and one to pull out all the stops.

Walk Church in Las Vegas is no exception. In addition to planning a Sunday extravaganza, the congregation had ordered 10,000 plastic eggs for its annual community outreach Easter egg hunt that in recent years has drawn up to 2,000 people.

But in the middle of planning last month, they learned that the middle school where they hold services would be shutting down its campus, leaving the congregation with no grassy field for the hunt or space for regular church activities.

“It was then that we began praying on what the Lord would need us to do,” said Pastor Heiden Ratner, who ultimately decided to move all services online to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. “The most responsible thing, the most Christ-like thing, is to love your neighbor more than yourself.”

So there will be not egg hunt, and Walk Church is inviting people to an Easter service online that will include a band but fewer than 10 people on stage. Ratner’s sermon to his video audience will be a play off of the concept of things getting canceled — but with the idea that Jesus’ resurrection canceled fear and death.

While Ratner said he trusts that Gov. Steve Sisolak is trying to do his best with an order last week banning all gatherings — including religious services — with 10 or more people, the directive has rubbed other pastors the wrong way. On Thursday, pastors from the International Church of Las Vegas gathered to plead with Sisolak to reverse his directive and let them hold an Easter service modeled after a drive-in movie, where attendees listened to the audio through the radio.

“Many more are going to be in their homes, they’re going to watch online and we’re thrilled about that … But what we’re saying is that they need to be here on Easter Sunday,” said Pastor Paul Goulet. “There’s not only the danger of fighting against the virus … it’s mental health problems, the depression, the isolation, the fear, the anxiety.”

Others at the press conference focused on their concerns that Sisolak was overreaching his constitutional bounds. They said that while they wanted to be as safe as possible, they chafed when what was previously a recommendation became a government demand.

“An order that goes as far as prohibiting a drive-in service where people gather together in their cars to celebrate an Easter service as a congregation is an overreach that goes well beyond any practical application for safety,” said Las Vegas City Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, adding that those gathered agreed the pandemic demanded sacrifices. “We do however disagree that those sacrifices need to include the free exercise of religion that this country was built on.”

At press time, Sisolak had not withdrawn the order. The churches affirmed Friday that they would not hold drive-in services in defiance of the governor, as much as they disagreed with the order. 

But Father Bob Stoeckig, the vicar general of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas, views the situation through this theological context: The stay-home directive aligns with the church’s pro-life doctrine by limiting the spread of the potentially deadly virus.

“As a church that preaches and celebrates the dignity of life, this is not meant as a way to deprive anyone of anything,” he said. “It is meant to uphold the value of life.”

Rev. Dr. Charlotte Morgan, known as “Pastor Char” to her congregants at Indigo Valley Church, agrees with the directive banning in-person services as well. She said the situation makes human connections more difficult but not impossible.

“God also gave us the brilliant people who brought us this technology,” she said, “and we ought to use it.”

The Las Vegas church has been hosting online Sunday services for several weeks, and, like the in-person gatherings, they start promptly at 10:04 a.m. to give latecomers a four-minute grace period. But Morgan has also posted a short communion video online and organized Zoom video-conferencing sessions with her congregants. The latest virtual meetup included home tours to show off Easter decorations.

So while Indigo Valley Church won’t be able to host a post-Easter service brunch — a potluck complete with mimosas — the roughly 75-member congregation has been finding other ways to connect.

“Worship is that gathering together and connection with one another through ritual,” she said.

It’s not lost on religious leaders that brick-and-mortar places of worship often find themselves packed during times of crisis. Stoeckig said people flocked to church pews, where they bowed their heads in prayer, after the Oct. 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas.

“It’s the place of safety and comfort,” said Stoeckig, who’s essentially the second-in-command within the Diocese. “We’re trying to make it the place of comfort electronically.”

For Walk Church, the crisis and the closure of its regular food pantry has spurred a portal where people can place an online order for any help they need, such as someone to run to the store and deliver groceries. It has the orderly feel of a restaurant ticket, with an ID number at the top, and it has helped activate church members’ volunteerism.

“People crave to make a difference ... and do something that matters,” Ratner said. “This has been a moment for people to get in the game.” 

Catholic churches across Southern Nevada have scrambled to provide at-home participation options, such as uploading recorded masses to Facebook or YouTube. Stoeckig concedes it’s an imperfect situation, in part because only tech-savvy parishioners with the appropriate devices and internet access can participate. 

But when he delivers mass in front of a largely empty church — save for the few people helping with music, readings or video production — he pictures his parishioners in their normal seating spots.

And, in that moment, he believes the governor made the right call.

“I think of the number of elderly people who would be so vulnerable,” he said. “By them staying home, they’re safe. The day will come when we can safely gather again.”