Drive-in church at New Covenant: This is one Easter that will not be forgotten!
During this time of social distancing, today’s typical churchgoers are left feeling like everyone else who doesn’t do Sunday church! For New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lewes, it is a really strange feeling to miss the weekly meeting with God. Since the government’s safety order to not assemble in any buildings, whether it be a church or a home, God’s people have been left trying to find appropriate ways to acquire spiritual nourishment. It is hard to comply with both the CDC expectations of distance and the scriptural expectation expressed in Hebrews 10:25 to assemble.
With this in mind, many have taken the leap into the virtual world: recording, livestreaming, broadcasting, and FaceTiming, to name a few. Some recipients have found this arrangement to be nice, as it is untethered to any specific time and it is oblivious to one’s actual appearance. This “church” experience basically becomes another TV show to watch, at one’s leisure.
To combat this powerful temptation to reduce church to merely an hour-long program to watch, let’s figure out why God set up the church in the first place. God did not call for the assembly to provide a therapeutic, moralistic, and often entertaining presentation; he called people by his amazing grace through Christ, to come into his presence – to meet with him!
Pastor Bob Dekker said, “On Easter Sunday, the church is calling people to have an upward focus to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. Because of COVID-19, many people have had a fresh dose of human mortality. This awareness of death is confronted in the story of Christ’s rising from the dead on the third day. We can celebrate with joy on Easter because our faith is in the one who lives. Physical death is ugly, but it is not the end of a person’s existence. You know the promise in John 3:16 is that you will enjoy an everlasting life in heaven.
“To help you celebrate, we are hosting a live service on Easter Sunday. In keeping with the social distancing guidelines, we will be broadcasting a local FM signal to those on our property, so that from their own car (with less than 10 people inside), a family can rejoice that Jesus came “Up from the Grave!” This will be a moment to remember – A Drive-in Church Easter Celebration! If you would like more information, see ncpchurch.com.
“This is open to all who have Delaware tags. We are seeking to be in compliance with the call to protect each other from the virus, while blessing each other with a friendly honk, instead of our customary ‘Amen and Hallelujah.’”
Be advised, no restroom facilities will be available. Secure a good parking space; the celebration begins at 10:30 a.m., and it will also be on Facebook Live.
