Churches across Missouri are finding creative ways to stay connected with their members, and one idea is by holding church at the drive-in theatre. Pleasant Hill Christian Church in Potosi is meeting at the Starlight Drive-In in rural Washington County.
“It was a joke at first,” Pastor Trevor Kean said “We had tried to collaborate with the church leaders on what would be our next steps, knowing that these guidelines were going to be more emphasized on distancing ourselves, limiting numbers and gatherings.
“I just kind of suggested it as a joke and thought ‘hey let’s just do it at the drive-in.’ Someone said, ‘hey, that sounds perfect, let’s reach out.’”
READ: Churches find creative way to serve their communities during coronavirus pandemic
Kean explained how they were able to pull off the idea of holding church at the drive-in. “They have a microphone that comes from the upstairs part of the drive-in,” he said. “And then everyone will be tuned into the FM radio channel that they had assigned to it.”
And how do they engage with a congregation of cars?
“We asked that if you are having a great time or this is a great thing, flash your lights at us and let us know how things are going,” Kean said. “[There were] a lot of honked horns, flashing lights, blinkers, whatever they could do. We had a lot of people reach out afterward, thanking us for offering that.”
Posted by Pleasant Hill Christian Church of Potosi on Sunday, March 22, 2020
The church notified its members on Facebook about holding church at the drive-in.
“In a world full of uncertainty and social distancing, we as a church and as Christians have chosen to adapt and overcome. Pleasant Hill Christian Church recognizes the importance of keeping our members safe from the current outbreak of the coronavirus. In an effort to continue to spread the gospel and to praise our Savior, we will be holding our Sunday service at Starlite drive-in theater.
“This will allow for worship to happen from the safety of our cars as Pastor Trevor Kean preaches. We know the situation isn’t ideal, but we are determined to keep a spirit of hope and not fear. We are choosing to spread joy. We are choosing to trust in our savior. We are choosing him. Please come and truly worship with us in a genuine, simple yet safe way.”
