The pink and purple balloons waving in the early morning breeze outside First Church of the Nazarene in Ironton marked the spot for Saturday’s pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt.

By 7:30 a.m. chief cooks Garnet Worthington and Jordan Chapman and their crew of volunteers were already frying up 30 pounds of bacon and mixing bowls and bowls of pancake batter. Last year was the first time the church offered the breakfast the Saturday before Easter and 200 from the area turned out for the feast.

“This is a goodwill mission to let the community know we are here serving the Lord,” Worthington said.

Chapman said his secret for good pancake batter was simple.

“Get the right people in the right place,” he said. “This is just a mission of joy and fun. You see people here laughing and having fun.”

Also in the kitchen were Chapman’s wife, Amber, Phil, Terri and Susan Perry, Rosemary Swartzwelder and Debbie Weiher. As the guests arrived, the teens from the church took over the duties of serving.

Main organizer for the event was Crystal Ferguson, children’s director at the church, who planned a special puppet show for the children before the egg hunt.

“It’s about the real message of Easter,” she said. “Easter isn’t about egg hunts or new clothes. It is about Christ.”