MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) - The preacher stood in the doorway of the picturesque church and looked out at the parking lot as his congregation gathered for the early morning service.
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(Photo: AP Images / John Amis)A congregation of cars face pastor Norman Markle standing in the doorway of New Hope Methodist Church as he delivers a sermon broadcast on FM airwaves during a new drive in service at the 152 year old church, Sunday morning June 15, 2008, in Marietta, Ga.
By the time the Rev. Norman Markle started his sermon, everyone was still in their vehicles — just as planned. The 150-year-old New Hope United Methodist Church is offering a drive-in service, hoping to attract new visitors with an unusual worship experience.
"Maybe they don't have a church or don't care to get dressed up to go to church; let's find a way to eliminate all that," Markle said. "People go where they're comfortable."
The service has all the markings of traditional worship — hymns, a Scripture reading and a sermon — but everything is broadcast over an AM radio station. Attendees can stay in their cars, spread a blanket on the ground or go inside the tiny chapel, depending on where they are most at ease.
Markle is hoping to draw attention to his 88-member church, which is off the beaten path in a suburban Atlanta area now crowded with automotive repair shops, car dealerships and fast food restaurants. He plans to run the services through the fall, or until the weather gets too cold to sit outdoors.
The church hopes to add a monthly communion to the drive-in service, where attendees would be served the bread and grape juice in their cars. Some Sundays, coffee and doughnuts will be offered after worship.
A recent Sunday drew about 20 worshippers in 10 or so vehicles. Most of the group sat in their cars and trucks, enjoying the unseasonably cool morning. The crowd included three dogs and several people munching on breakfast as they sang along to "Just a Closer Walk with Thee."
One family piled on a blanket in the back of their pickup truck with their rat terrier, Kapone, and listened to the sermon.
"I think it's incredible," said Kapone's owner, Renee Ford-Murphy, who's been a member at New Hope for three years. "I've never had an opportunity to worship in the open air like this."
It's not a new concept. America has long accommodated its love of car culture with drive-in movies and drive-thru windows, to name just two examples. Since the 1950s, dozens of churches have tried drive-in worship.
The Crystal Cathedral, a 10,000-member megachurch in California, started at an Orange County drive-in movie theater in 1955. In Daytona Beach, Fla., the Drive In Christian Church has been offering car-based worship since 1953, marketing itself to tourists and physically disabled visitors.
Markle said there are 11 churches across the country that have drive-in services today, including Armbrust Wesleyan Church in Armbrust, Pa., where the Marietta pastor got the idea.
The Pennsylvania congregation started its drive-in service in the 1970s in addition to its regular service, and gets about 70 attendees each Sunday, said the Rev. Tim Stradling. Since the church is surrounded by homes, worshippers are encouraged to quietly respond to the sermon, he said.
"If you're saying 'amen' by beeping horns, you might be waking up a neighbor," Stradling said. "If I say something and I'm looking for response, they flash their lights or stick their arms out of the windows."
The Georgia church is still working out the kinks after just a few weeks of drive-in services. One recent Sunday, a sports radio show bled through on the church's AM channel, punctuating hymns and prayers with scores and stats.
The church has advertised the service in the newspaper and with signs along the winding roads that lead to the tiny, white chapel. "Come worship in your car, just as you are," the signs say.
Rebecca Ash-Allen and her husband, Chuck Allen, decided to try out the service after they saw the signs, which are close to the Chrysler dealership where Allen works. The couple likes to listen to the service with the top down on their green convertible.
"It allows me to have an enjoyable setting while praying," Ash-Allen said. "He and I both feel more comfortable in this setting."
Comments
I have preached in churches, street ministry, hotels and homes. My belief is get the word of truth out. My web page is found on the address bar at http://prophecyinternational.org also http://prophecyinternationalnewsletterblogspot.com I am getting the word of truth our.
Pastor/ Evangelist Barbara Burris
JB, I don't recall fellowship being a necessary prerequisite for eternal life. Obedience, faith (which means know, understand, practice and believe ALL that Jesus taught and did) and don't forget 1 Tim III 15 and Mt XVIII 17. And of course, 1 Jn IV 3, who describes as antichrists those who dilute or dissolve Christ. I don't what is worse; puppet masses at a novus ordo "catholic church" or a drive "worship" service. I hope people at least don't treat like a real drive-in and start necking. Or worse.
Bet theres a lot of fellowship at this "church"!
Does this "pastor" excommunicate or anathamatize members from the entrance too? Regarding judging, we judge people everyday, both inside a courtroom and outside. The key is to have sufficient evidence and proof before making a well-educated and well-informed judgement. Anything else would be rash, premature and injurious to the party in question. There isn't, to my knowledge, any "church" that teaches this today. You would have to reference the Catholic Church of the past to verify what I am saying. Good day and Blessed Be God!
Our Baptist church had a similar Sunday morning "service" about 20 years ago. We were under no illusions that it was the church worshipping or fellowshipping. It was an outreach to people who would otherwise not attend a church service. We were fishing...for men. The church (the congregation) met at a different time and place for worship, fellowship and Bible study.
I think its easy to tell if the message is watered down: Does the church teach the Bible? Are the members growing in the knowledge and exercise of the word of God? Is Christ the only way to be saved? Do you have to do something to be saved? What Biblical truths are being ignored? What teaching does not match what Scripture says? Are Scripture verses being ignored during preaching/teaching to be able to make a point, instead of teaching what the Bible teaches?
Koinonia is the greek term for fellowship, particularly as praticed by the early Christian church goers.
I don't see how they could get the full effect of fellowship, if ALL they did was attend church in their cars - much like people who come to church right as it starts and leaves right as its over.
But even so, its possible to attend worship and Bible study and get nothing out of it. On the other hand, its possible to attend church and be blessed, even if you walked in late and leave early.
I think it depends on the pastor, the people of the local church body, the Spirit, and the people in question. So maybe its possible to feel connected through the service of people attending in a car, but I really dont understand how it would happen.
Excellent questions, ID4234, I'm not sure what Koinonea fellowship is though.
In any case, I think there are some serious stumbling blocks in the methodology (of worship) that this church is using.
Any pervert who distorts the Word of God (say KKK) can be clearly demonstrated to be heretics. All their hermeneutics, exegesis, etc. Can be clearly shown to be wrong, once you read the passage in it's own context - the truth the author is trying to convey.
A simple example, some perverts might claim the Bible says there is no God infact. I'll ask them, "Son, where does this say so?" They'll say Psalm 14:1. I'll say "Ok, let's look at Psalm 14:1" So we pull it out and read what the author is trying to convey: "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'...."
So what are we to say, "okay, well that's your interpretation, oh well..." NO, we say, "You fool, you're distorting the biblical text"
Anyways, This is all the answer I'm prepared to give (for it would take too long to write an entire response). I hope this suffices.
Would this qualify as assembling together? Is worship passive and sedentary or is it active? Would this atmosphere created by drive-in services be conducive to the Holy Spirit manifesting Himself? What about Koinonea fellowship?
Lordshepard, Ok, I had a big huge response, but there was a glitch, and I'm not about to rewrite the whole response.
Basically your views are rooted in Subjectivism. It's wrong on so many levels that I can't be bothered to write them all again (as my original post was lost was lost in cyber space).
The word of God determines what message is 'watered down.' The Mormons don't (For they aren't even Christians - They're Polythiest heathens - no matter what delusions they'll try and tell you).
The Baptists do, as long as what they say conforms to the Word of God.
For the record, the argument of a woman's hair length is one I find ridiculous and a waste of time. Those kind of arguments are fed by evil to distract us from our mission as bearers of the good news. I find arguments such as the one we are having to also be fed from a dark place. A place were we want to judge one another. "I am a better Christian than you. I am a superior human because I have been saved by Christ." It is very much a holier-than-thou position. According to my reading of scripture, any building whose sole purpose is to cater to worshippers (such as a church building) is nothing more than that biblical wh%re paid to please her customers. We build our 'high places' on every corner. The only building God commanded us to build for worship was His temple. Anything else was an abomination, following after the ways of the pagans. The CHURCH is supposed to be a group of like-minded followers of Christ, not a building.
So who then decides which setting is proper for the preaching of God's Word? Who decides if the 'message' is correct and biblical or watered down? Should we perhaps allow the KKK to decide? Or the Mormons? Maybe the Baptists? Should we cling to our roots...you know those good old days everybody keeps talking about...and pledge to follow the religious rules of the Roman Catholic Church? Who decides that it is 'watered down' and who decides it is filled with truth? Each of these is a personal question and a personal journey because the Spirit has been seen in all of these venues. I personally believe them all to have grains of truth and therefore draw the Spirit, yet are also ignorant to God's true wishes for mankind and the spreading of His message. Which is, of course, my opinion. I prefer to be safe rather than sorry. I may say to someone, like I am here with all of you, that I do not agree with you on God's intent or desires for man's worship of Him. I may even tell you that I do not believe your view is in line with the Bible, however I AM human and could be wrong. I have been 'rebuked' for considering an African American to be my equal in the eyes of God. People 'correct and rebuke' according to their own human interpretations of scripture and condemn parishioners for interracial marriages. I am not arrogant enough to assume that after 2000 years of bigotry, exclusionism, white-supremacy and flat-out war in the name of God that 'I' or anyone else for that matter 'finally' have the truth. Just look around, we can't even agree if it is a sin for a woman to have short hair and wear pants.
Ya, I completely agree with you that there have been different forms of worship throughout Church history, that are all perfectly acceptable to the Lord.
Sure, if we want to hold a service in a field, that's fine: provided we do not compromise the gospel in any sense. Look at a lot of preachers throughout history: John Bunyon, John Wesley, for example, preached in the streets and in the fields. They were great men of God, and God used them greatly. At the same rate, men like Spurgeon largely preached in a Church.
Anways, these are just a few points to think about. Namely a few forms of preaching that are acceptable to Christ.
I've done evanglism rallies, concerts, festivals, door-to-door, 'friendship' evanglism, visting the poor/sick/jailed, etc and know they can each be effective. I agree with your concerns on not compromising respectful worship, fellowship within the church, and not being conformed to the world.
However, places and styles of worship have change throughout history. If the message is watered down, we know the church will not be a church of God for long - this is true regardless of where the service is held.
I've done missionary work, taught and preached in houses, churches, dirt compounds. I've evanglized, taught and preached in English and Spanish in multiple countries. I've sung worship songs in ENglish and Spanish and heard them in Portugueze. The style is different everywhere. The words are diffferent. The beat is different. God has called each church to reach the world around them in various ways. But the key is to reach them.
I've attended services in an amphitheater, river-side, store-front, house, big & small church building, cathedral, under a tree.
Some of the worst services I have attended have been in church buildings. :) The reason I say this is the message was watered down and the people were not truly convinced of what Christ has done for us - there was no fire in the church.
On the other hand, some of the best services I have attended was a store-front, and beside a river, and on a dirt compound - because of the Spirit, message and fellowship. To me, its more important to grab their attention with the word of God, and let the Holy Spirit convict them. Then we have the next responsibilty to disciple them.
How its done, as long as it honors God and His word, does not matter so much to me. But as I've said, I can see your oints and concerns and I agree with them.
The key, as I see it, is to reach people and disciple them. How you do it, as long as you are led by God and teach the word of God and do not violate any of God's teachings, will change with the poeple, place, and time.