One of Christianity’s most important holy days is at hand — Easter.

“This week’s events are some of the most important events in human history,” said the Rev. Michael Frost, who is the pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Palmerton and St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Lehighton.The week began with Christians worldwide recalling the day when Jesus Christ entered into Jerusalem amidst a fanfare of palm branches for the Passover.As the week progressed, they remember how he ate his last supper with his apostles on Holy Thursday.His arrest followed that night and he went before the Sanhedrin. By daylight, he was turned over to the Romans for a decision to his fate.On Good Friday, they remember how the crowd was stirred into almost a mob scene and called for his crucifixion.Not wanting to be associated with the sentence, Pontius Pilate washed his hands of it and granted their request.Jesus dies on the cross, but come Sunday morning he conquers death and is resurrected — Easter.According to a Pew Research Center study from 2014, online searches for “church” tend to rise around Christian holidays, with Easter being the peak.A 2012 LifeWay Research study asked 1,000 Protestant pastors for their three highest turnouts for Sunday services. Easter took first place, with 93 percent pegging it for the most attended service of the year.Christmas was second with 83 percent, with Mother’s Day taking third place at 59 percent.While Gallup Polls have traditionally pegged the churchgoing populace at around 40 percent of the country, a study from the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, “How Many Americans Attend Worship Each Week? An Alternative Approach to Measurement,” cites weekly attendance to be below 22 percent.The Rev. Russell Haab of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Slatington said that every Sunday is a celebration of Easter, and the holiday can serve as a way to bring more people into the congregation.“The invitation is always put out there. Easter is a 50-day celebration, a week of weeks, and we invite everyone to keep coming back,” he said. “It’s the first day of the new creation, so it’s a good time to get started.”Frost said that many of the visitors on Easter Sunday will be friends and family of members of the congregation, but some will be visitors who want to celebrate Easter.A celebration“I thank God that they realize the importance of it,” Frost said. “When they do come, we should celebrate.”And area churches are prepared to welcome visitors with open arms.Since Easter tends to attract high attendance, it can serve as an entry point to increasing church attendance year-round.Frost said he encourages the congregation to welcome visitors.“I am thrilled when I see folks make a bee-line for the visitors,” he said. “It’s an important role to make new folks feel welcome.”The Rev. Chris Bronico of Living Hope Lighthouse Church in Palmerton, said that he has asked his congregation to take a few minutes either before, after the service or both to welcome visitors.They make a point to fulfill their mission statement: “Love God. Love others. Make disciples.”Bronico said about a third of their visitors have attended one of their outreach programs throughout the week.Another third find out about the church from their website, and the last third come as guests of the church members.Making a connectionWhen they come on Sundays, visitors are given a welcome bag and are invited to complete a “Connect Card.”The card asks them if they would like more information about the church, such as its Bible study group, children’s groups, events, or how to become a member, ask for prayer intentions, or just to talk to the pastor.For Easter, Bronico said everyone will receive a short book written by journalist Lee Strobel titled “The Case for Easter.”Strobel is also the author of the book “The Case for Christ,” which has recently been made into a movie.Also for Easter, a group of about 12 children will perform a cantata of Easter songs accompanied by the church band. The church has a contemporary music group for its services, he said.Like Living Hope, Cornerstone Community Church in Kresgeville has a welcome card for visitors to complete if they want someone to contact them.The Rev. Stuart Szmaciasz said in order to make visitors feel welcome, he gave his congregation invitations for them to give to anyone they wanted to invite to the Easter services.“People are more apt to show up if someone invites them,” he said.Szmaciasz encourages people who haven’t come to church in a while to come out for Easter.“The hope is in the resurrection of Christ,” Szmaciasz said. “Because of the resurrection, we can have hope in this world, and that will lead to hope in the next.”At the parishes of St. John’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Lansford and St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Nesquehoning, the Rev. Vasyl Chepelskyy welcomes also welcomes all to come and worship with them whether they are Byzantine, are another denomination or have never learned about Christianity.“Only one thing is important today — come and celebrate this Feast of Easter in church, come and have personal encounter with the risen Christ, come and give God an opportunity to help you in your life,” he said.“Invite Him to accompany you in your spiritual journey, allow Him to act in your life, allow Him to act through you in the lives of others, especially your loved ones, allow Jesus this holy season to touch you with His Divine and Life giving touch so that your life may be forever changed.”In trying timesIn light of the U.S. military dropping the non-nuclear “mother of all bombs,” many people are seeking guidance and answers about an uncertain world.A 2012 report from Discover Magazine, referencing Christchurch, New Zealand, before and after a 2011 earthquake, found that people were more likely to report becoming more religious as opposed to losing their faith.Gallup reported an increase in churchgoers following Sept. 11, 2001, with many congregations seeing up to a 25 percent increase.However, the Barna Research Group said long-term attendance eventually dropped back to normal level.George Barna reported, “Churches succeeded at putting on a friendly face but failed at motivating the vast majority of spiritual explorers to connect with Christ in a more intimate or intense manner.”Haab remains encouraged. “I think stressful times do help people see more of a need for the church, and they ask more questions,” he said.Reporter Brian Myszkowski contributed to this article.