Church at the drive-in: How one Pa. religious community is adapting to the coronavirus
When the preacher read from the Bible about life's storms and that Jesus doesn't abandon his followers, the rows of cars at the Cumberland Drive-In Theatre responded with a chorus of honks.
With the movie screen behind him, Pastor Barry Van Hussey of the Christian Life Community Church in Newville, Pa, preaches perched atop a scissor boom, over the tops of the cars gathered in the Cumberland Drive-In Theatre on Sunday.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
To say amen, just honk your horn and flash your lights.
That’s what hundreds of worshipers did in Cumberland County on Sunday morning. The Big Spring Inter-church Council brought together congregations from the Harrisburg-Carlisle area for church at Cumberland Drive-In Theatre.
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“As we continue to navigate through these mandated shutdowns, suspensions, and uncertainties revolving around the COVID-19 pandemic, we as the Church still have a big job to do,” reads an explanation posted on Facebook from Newville Assembly of God, one of the participating churches. “Thus, we are thinking Outside the Box 📦.”
Churches around the country are finding creative ways to continue “gathering” as the Lenten season winds down. This was the second week of “Church at the Drive-In” in Newville, where 300 cars appeared for 10:30 a.m. service.
Congregation members arriving for Sunday church services drive past the sign for the Cumberland Drive In movie theater announcing that church services were being held there on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
As worshipers arrived in their cars for the Sunday service at the Cumberland Drive In movie theater in Newville, PA on Sunday March 29, 2020, Sharon Peffer of the Christian Life Community Church, handed out the program for the service to each car.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Cars coming to attend the drive in church service on Sunday March 29, 2020 in Newville, PA ,make their way through the parking lot to a space where they can see the pastor deliver the sermon for the day.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Marlin Swarner, center, of the Christian life Community Church, stands in the rain and directs traffic to individual parking spaces as the congregation of cars arrived for the Sunday church service at the Cumberland Drive In theater on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Before services began Pastor Jeffrey Kettering, right, lead Steve Gibb, left, and Pastor Barry Van Hussey, center, who would be giving the sermon on Sunday, in a brief moment in prayer, in the concession stand of the Cumberland Drive In theater, on Sunday March 29, 2020. Multiple churches in the Newville area of Pennsylvania held Sunday services at the Cumberland Drive In Movie Theater. Over 300 hundred cars pulled in, with everyone listening on the car radio on station 88.7 FM. To keep social distancing most everyone stayed in their car.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Kurt Kimmel, of the Christian Life Community Church, stands in the rain and welcomes every one to the Sunday church service at the Cumberland Drive In theater on Sunday March 29, 2020 in Newville, PA.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Casie Yohe, center, 11, catches up with her friend, Maddie Musser, 15, as they talk to each other in their cars parked next to each other, before the Sunday church service at the Cumberland Drive In theater in Newville on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Sassy, the 2 year old family dog of Ivan Moore, looks out the car window to get a better look at all the cars parked to participate in the drive in church service held at the Cumberland Drive In theater in Newville, PA on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
With the movie screen behind him, Pastor Barry Van Hussey of the Christian Life Community Church in Newville, PA, preaches perched atop a scissor boom, over the tops of the cars gathered in the Cumberland Drive In movie theater on Sunday March 29, 2020, for Sunday church services .Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Rev. Mike Kemler, who was in charge of the the live Facebook streaming of the drive in Sunday service in Newville, PA, holds his portable radio up to the microphone of his iphone so the sermon, coming out of the radio, could be heard during the live stream.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Jessica Reme, center, tries to follow along with the scripture reading with her own bible, as Pastor Joe Kindon, right, of the Diller Mennonite Church, right, tries to listen with the car window down.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Using a scissor boom so everyone can see him, Pastor Barry Van Hussey, of the Christian Life Community Church of Newville, PA, preaches to those assembled in their cars, at the Cumberland Drive in theater, who are listening in on their radios, on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
Congregants sitting in their cars, in the rain, listen intently to the sermon preached by PastorVan Hussey , on Sunday March 29, 2020, at the Cumberland Drive In theater in Newville, PA.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
John Hess, left, and his wife Beverly Hess, right, sign along with the hymns that are being broadcast on the radio at the Sunday church service held at the Cumberland Drive In theater in Newville, PA on Sunday March 29, 2020.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
At the back of the Cumberland Drive In movie theater, Dawn Chase participates in the Sunday church service by performing Flag Worship during the playing of the hymns through her car radio, on Sunday March 29, 2020 in Newville, PA.Read moreMICHAEL BRYANT / Staff Photographer
People directed traffic to ensure that cars and churchgoers spaced themselves for social distancing. Programs were passed along with the hymns for the morning: “Amazing Grace,” “Trust and Obey” and “King of My Heart.”
“Here again this week! Praise God the ‘Church’ can still gather,” one worshiper commented on Facebook. “So thankful for this time together.”
As rain poured down, service went on. Multiple churches were streaming the service on Facebook for those at home, while those present could listen along on the radio, tuned in to a local FM station. Recorded hymns were played on a portable stereo, as Pastor Barry Van Hussey climbed into an aerial lift ahead of delivering his sermon.
“Let me get my notes here. It’s wet and rainy as you can tell,” the minister said while elevated and wearing gloves. “But you know what? The Lord is still good. He’s still on the throne.”
The preacher turned his attention to specific Bible passages about life’s challenges, and encouraged those in the rows of cars before him to have faith amid panic, amid mayhem.
“Storms will happen in life,” he said. “And I’m not talking about a rainstorm for your crops or things like that. I’m talking about storms of life. I’m talking about job loss. I’m talking about miscarriages. I’m talking about different things that happen in people’s lives — deaths, suffering …
“Jesus is still all-powerful and he won’t abandon you, especially when people disappoint.”
