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Wet weather doesn't stop worshipers at Ober

Some were disappointed they couldn't celebrate the Son's rise with the sunrise when services moved inside because of the weather.

GATLINBURG, Tenn. — In the dreary darkness, they stumbled in.

Between a 4:45 a.m. alarm and 40-degree weather, a long line formed for coffee at Ober Gatlinburg Easter Sunday. 

For some, there was disappointment; they'd have to celebrate the Son's rise without the sunrise. 

"I would've rather it been outside, but I understand that it's raining," Donna Williams, a visitor from Southern Illinois, said. 

Instead of the traditional sunrise service in the parking lot, they had to move it to the rink inside. The crowd gathered around the ice, trying to get a good look.

Waiting outside, Melissa Ratchford worried the sunrise wouldn't be visible at all. 

"There might be so many clouds that you don't get to see it," she warned her daughters. 

The family visited the area from Louisville for the weekend. 

"It's beautiful. Just a little cloudy and rainy, but still beautiful," Ratchford said. 

Mark Burd said even if the services moved inside, his seven-hour trip from Ohio was worth it for the view. 

"It's absolutely beautiful, breathtaking. A little chilly, but from Ohio, we're used to that," Burd said. 

After driving all the way from Florida, Diane Givens wasn't going to let the weather stop her family's worship. 

"Out of our wildest dream to be up here on Easter Sunday and has this view and have this type of view...unspeakable," she said.  

"We don't have this in Florida," added Shantena Woods. "Feels a little closer to heaven."  

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