Rick Meloen
Special to The Lake Report

The Living Waters Wayside Chapel was dedicated on May 20, 1965, and was intended to be a place to stop along the busy Niagara River Parkway. 

It was meant as a place to enjoy a moment of rest and reflection or perhaps a prayer of thanks or for travelling mercies. 

To stop anywhere along the Parkway is a treat and the little chapel brings another feature to the beauty of the area.  

“Living Waters” is both a reference to the Niagara River and to Christ who offers us “living water.” 

Several guest books are filled each year with messages and signatures from visitors all over the world and in a myriad of languages. Based on that we estimate the chapel receives more than 10,000 visitors annually.

 It wasn’t until the late 1970s that an Easter sunrise service was held and it is now an annual tradition. 

With the exception of the COVID pandemic and one rainy morning, it has hosted 7 a.m. services for nearly 50 years. 

This has been a blessing to Faith Fellowship Church in Niagara Falls, which arranges the services, but even more so to the community. There are familiar faces who faithfully attend each year. 

This year I met a couple from the Muskoka area who have been coming for four years, specifically for the service. 

An Easter service such as this reminds us of the resurrection of Christ and how early in the morning of that day his followers were surprised and amazed at the sight of his empty tomb. 

So it is that on an early spring, often chilly, morning that Christians come together for a brief time of reflection, singing and fellowship to remember the sacrifice and resurrection of Christ. 

And it is a wonderful blessing that we are able to do this in peace and freedom in this great community.