Worshipers come together, but stay apart, at drive-in service
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Pastor Steven Ramey addresses the crowd gathered in their vehicles last Sunday.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Pastor Steven Ramey’s wife and kids played music for everyone sitting in their cars, listening over the radio, during Palm Sunday services at the parking lot at Wild Things Park.
Preaching to a sea of cars was a different experience for Steven Ramey, but was one borne out of necessity.
“I’m used to being in a sanctuary in the church,” Ramey said. “You can’t see any faces. Maybe a few.”
Ramey is the pastor at Mt. Hermon Baptist Church, located at 200 Banetown Road in Amwell Township.
However, the congregation was not on Banetown Road for Palm Sunday. Instead they were in the parking lot of Wild Things Park in North Franklin Township, listening to Ramey on their car radios.
“It was the first time we ever did anything like that. It had its challenges. … We wanted to listen to what the experts are saying about social distancing,” Ramey said.
People can not gather in church as they normally would because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Saturday, Gov. Tom Wolf updated his stay-at-home order to encourage people not to congregate in religious buildings and for leaders to provide alternatives.
Many churches are utilizing livestreams to take their messages directly into people’s homes, but Ramey got the idea for a drive-in style service when he saw on social media that Impact Church in Weirton, W. Va. had done the same.
“In thinking about doing this, rather than just giving up, or doing something like a livestream, which I commend other churches for doing, we wanted to be able to actually come together as a body. This just seemed like it fit the bill,” Ramey said.
With an FM transmitter that had been sitting unused in a drawer at the church for years, and some sound equipment from home, Ramey was able to broadcast to those in the parking lot on FM channel 107.7.
While Ramey preached, his family provided the music. Lisa, his wife, played the keyboard and sang. Their kids, Caleb, Jacob, and Seth, filled out the rest of the band.
When they finished a song, the parking lot erupted with honks.
“They helped me set up and tear down. We live in the same house, so we don’t have to worry about that concern,” Ramey said.
Ramey said they decided on the location because his family often uses the walking trail near Wild Things Park.
“We were thinking of a place that had a big parking lot, and shelter in case it rained,” Ramey said.
Ramey then got permission from both North Franklin Township and the Washington Wild Things to utilize the parking lot and pavilion for Sunday’s service.
Mt. Hermon Baptist Church plans on holding another drive-in service at the same location at 11 a.m. Easter Sunday.
Ramey said they currently do not have any plans beyond on Easter Sunday, but if stay-at-home requirements remain in place he says they will continue to look for ways to safely bring people distantly together.
“I just believe that there’s hope in Jesus,” Ramey said. “Our faith offers us some comfort, some peace, some joy, even in very difficult times, and this is a way we could that. We could practice that. We could show that we believe that.”