August 13, 2020 at 4:13 p.m.
Worshiping at a social distance: Trinity Lutheran Church offers drive-in Sunday service
Worshiping at a social distance: Trinity Lutheran Church offers drive-in Sunday service
By Stephanie Kuski-
Pastors Tim and Kari Vadis hosted that first drive-in service in the back of a boat so the members of their congregation could see them. The couple offered a second drive-in service on July 26, but this time the pastors led the service from a platform built by a member of the congregation. The morning drizzle didn't deter the flock, however, since the comfort of their cars kept them dry in spite of some rain.
Pastor Kari Vadis said these drive-in style services are an effort to still be together while keeping a social distance, since Trinity Lutheran has not yet opened its church build for services since Gov. Evers' Safer At Home order went into effect in mid-March.
Carole Hansen joined her fellow church members at Trinity for the drive-in services and said she was excited to see the other members of her congregation after a long hiatus of in-person services.
"It worked very well and it was fun," she said. "It was a different way we could do it."
"It was a lot more meaningful than I expected," Pastor Vadis added. "I was surprised how moving it was to look out and see people and have them see one another."
Hansen also helped greet and direct traffic into the church parking lot so cars could line up facing the church and pastors, in a similar fashion to how pews are situated in a church, but this time, congregation members stayed in their cars.
Others were parked along Brown Street or in the Frasier's parking lot across the street, and still others brought lawn chairs to enjoy the service at a social distance along the perimeter of the parking lot.
Those gathered tuned into 100.7 FM to her to the service. They could wave to other cars parked in the lot, or even honk their horns to greet each other. Pastors Tim and Kari read scripture, gave a sermon and led the congregation in prayer. Of course, the service also featured hymns with musical accompaniment, so those in their cars could sing along without fear of spreading or catching the coronavirus.
Pastor Kari said the idea of a drive-in service was not new to her husband, Pastor Tim. She said his dad is also a pastor and has hosted a worship service at a drive-in movie theatre every summer, and since other churches in COVID-19 hotspots have also been implementing this style of worship, it made sense for them to try it out too.
"I think the isolation is starting to get to people," she said. "Those of us who are used to regular workshops, you feel a bit off from those connections. So it's a way of being together, just a different way of being together."
Indeed, across our community and beyond, it has been incredibly moving to witness the creative innovation present in so many organizations that have been altering their normal routine to keep their members safe and healthy in the midst of the current pandemic.
In addition to the drive-in services, Trinity Lutheran has also been hosting an online worship service every Sunday for their congregation to enjoy from the comfort of their homes throughout the duration of the pandemic.
Pastor Kari added that they were live streaming their services even before COVID-19 for members of their congregation who may not be able to attend their weekly worship. Since these online services have been so well received, she said the church will continue to strengthen its online presence and keep those virtual services going even after the pandemic abates.
"I think some of these things we're doing because we have to, we're going to find out are worth doing even when we don't have to," she said. "So those are cool discoveries."
Other aspects of worship have also been altered to keep their congregation members safely connected. Since many are beginning to feel the ill effects of social isolation as we've reached the fifth month of the pandemic, Trinity Lutheran is also encouraging small groups to worship together at a social distance, especially outside where the risk of transmission is lower.
"We have been encouraging people to gather in small groups of less than 10 people outside six feet apart, preferably with masks, and that has been working too," Pastor Kari said. "It's a different way of being together, but it's as healthy as it can be."
As so many of us continue to explore possible variations to these meaningful social activities that hold an important place in our lives, Pastor Kari reminds us that often, these trying circumstances challenge us to consider what our faith really means to us.
"I think the implementation of our faith is being activated," she shared. "How do we be a church without walls? Isn't that what we say we're called to be anyway? And now we're literally a church without walls. So how does that challenge us and inspire us and call us to be people of faith in a different way?"
Trinity Lutheran will meet again for their drive-in service on Sunday Aug. 23 and Aug. 30 at 8:30 a.m., and more drive-in style services may be offered if they are well received, Pastor Kari added.
Services will be abbreviated in case of inclement weather.
For more information or to stream their online services, visit their Facebook page at Trinity Lutheran Church or website at cometotrinity.com.
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