ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — Church as it looked before the coronavirus pandemic is quite different than it looks now for Turning Point at Calvary Church in St. Augustine, but despite a change in venue the message is the same.
“In a time of trouble, you don't want to close the place of hope which is usually the church,” Pastor Mark Conrad said.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis classified attending religious services an essential activity. Instead of holding service indoors, this weekend will be the third Sunday Pastor Conrad’s church will offer a drive-in church service.
“We decided to have an outdoor service, an outdoor service kind of like an old-fashioned drive-in movie is you actually drive in. You can stay in your cars, and you can leave your cars running,” Pastor Conrad explained. "We actually have a low output radio station that will go to your cars and we have music and then I preach, and then you can go home.”
He said the church has marked off parking spaces in a huge field to encourage those attending to keep their distance. Some people, he said, sit in the back of their pickup trucks.
“They'll bring chairs and they'll sit out and they'll stay apart as best as we can," he said. "You know, we remind them over and over again make sure that they don't violate that six-foot spot.”
About 140 cars showed up at the first outdoor service, and last Sunday he said it grew to more than 160 with room for more.
“We want to try and allow people to at least meet you know maybe through a windshield or window, but see one another, get out in the fresh air and give them an opportunity get out of their homes and still hear the word of God which we believe is what encourages people.”
For those who don’t want to attend in person, they can watch the worship service online by clicking here.
