BATON ROUGE – It was the perfect day for an outdoor Easter service at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. 

This year's Easter service will be the last time the church will hold a service outside of the building since the pandemic started in 2020. 

Members are saying they are ready to get back inside the building to worship in the same room together again.

“I was very happy to hear that we can come back inside, and hear the music and be with your church members instead of just staying at your house being in your bed or sitting up whatever,” said Annette Bell. “It really recharges me for the week.”

The church has only gathered outside three times, weather permitting. The rest of the services have been streamed online.

“It is such a joy to see faces, some that we haven't seen in a year, so it's great to see faces and you can feel the excitement in the air,” said Pastor Andra Johnson.

That excitement will build next week with people being welcomed back inside the church since the pandemic hit. 

"Many more people are getting vaccinated now and we feel like we're positioned to come in safely. We're still following CDC protocols, staying six feet apart and wearing our mask,” said Pastor Johnson. “We wanted to provide at least another option for people to worship and fellowship so we're excited about that."

This shift marked Easter Sunday as the last time members gathered to worship under the sun as next week will bring back a sense of normalcy.