St Columbanus launches ‘Car Park Family Church’
With church buildings still closed for worship, St Columbanus, Ballyholme, held their first ever drive–in service in the church car park on Sunday 7 June.
“It all came together quite quickly, says the rector, Canon Simon Doogan. “Our carpark isn’t that big and it’s also on a slope, so having initially dismissed the drive–in church idea, once a trailer and PA system became available we thought well let’s try it…”
The parish did all the preparatory work – phone calls to their insurance company and the local police, door–to–door invitations to their very gracious neighbours and a thoroughgoing risk assessment.
Social media and emails got the word out and before they knew it they had 20 plus cars for a 30 minute service billed as ‘Car Park Family Church’.
“It was Trinity Sunday in the church calendar, but we had tied everything down in anticipation of the Pentecostal winds which had been forecast,” said Simon. “Sure enough, they gave our helium–filled prayer balloons the necessary uplift!”
The parish is still preparing recorded Sunday services along with Children’s Church lessons for YouTube each week, but it was definitely the young people they had uppermost in mind and they are certainly planning to do it again.
Simon continues: “The hope is that when Coronavirus is over and St Columbanus is open again, everyone present will remember the time when they said their prayers, sang their songs and saw their friends in the church carpark.”
