NATCHEZ — Members of the Natchez Ministerial Alliance hope to start a new Easter tradition, and bunnies and colorful eggs have nothing to do with it.

The Rev. Scott Green, pastor of Natchez First Assembly of God and president of the alliance, said local churches want to set up temporary Easter displays on the bluff to commemorate the Easter story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

“At Easter, there is a lot of focus on the Easter bunny and eggs and traditional things,” Green said. “But as pastors, we wanted to put focus on the glorious resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”

The alliance came before the Natchez Board of Aldermen this week to ask permission to erect the displays, which Green said would be about the same size as the Christmas displays the city sets up on the bluff near Broadway Street every year.

The board unanimously voted to allow the alliance to display the holiday decorations.

Each participating church is assigned a scene to portray to tell the story of Easter, including Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, last supper, arrest in the garden of Gethsemane, torture and crucifixion, Green said.

Green’s church has taken on the final scene: the resurrection.

The displays are supposed to be made by members of the church, and churches are encouraged to include the scriptural reference for the scene as well as the name of the church sponsoring the display.

“If it gets a good reception and a good response by the community, our goal is to continue it each year,” Green said. “This will be our first year, and I don’t expect it to be as large as I’m hoping. At this point, I don’t know if all the scenes will be represented.”

The displays are scheduled to go up on March 14. Local churches interested in taking part still have time to participate.

The decorations will remain on the bluff for two weeks.

Groups that wish to sign up to participate can call Natchez First Assembly of God (601) 442-3178.