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Gina Jaha of Newport Beach watches as Rev. Robert A. Schuller gives a sermon that’s broadcast on the car radio via a short range transmitter during a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Huddled in blankets in the back seat of an SUV girls, clockwise from bottom, Taylor Stearns, McKenna Smith and Brooke Stearns, follow along during the singing of a hymn as it’s broadcast over the car radio during a drive-in church service lead by Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Laurie Baker of Laguna Beach, with her dog Liberty, listen as Rev. Robert A. Schuller broadcasts a sermon over the radio via a short range transmitter during a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The faithful stand outside their cars as they pray during a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Ed and Maxine Czisny of Newport Beach hold up signs directing church-goers what radio station to tune-in and where to park at a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Cienna, 3, left, and brother Christian Sinclair, 5, stand up in the passenger window of their parents car as their grandfather Rev. Robert A. Schuller gives a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Rev. Robert A. Schuller leads a drive-in church service that’s broadcast to his congregation on their car radios via short range transmitter in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Mindy Stearns, left, does a Facebook Live from her car during a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Pictured, from left, Mindy Stearns, husband Glenn, their friends Ashley Gehl, Lola Gehl, and Stephanie Argyros Gehl. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Lola Gehl of Newport Beach props her feet up on the dashboard as she listens to a sermon by Rev. Robert A. Schuller over the car radio during a drive-in service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Martin and Donna Eckmann of Santa Ana listen as Rev. Robert A. Schuller broadcasts a sermon over the radio via a short range transmitter during a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Glenn Stearns, left, chats with friend Lola Gehl, from their SUVs during drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The faithful sit in their cars as they watch and listen as Rev. Robert A. Schuller broadcasts a sermon over the radio via a short range transmitter during a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Mindy Stearns leans out the window of her SUV to speak to a friend in another car during a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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People attending a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020 gather around a coffee stand to pray. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The faithful stand outside their cars as they pray during a drive-in church service lead by the Rev. Robert A. Schuller in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Standing outside their cars people listen as Rev. Robert A. Schuller, top, gives a sermon during a drive-in church service in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Rev. Robert A. Schuller leads a drive-in church service that’s broadcast to his congregation on their car radios via short range transmitter in Santa Ana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Southern California churches are considering drive-in ministry as church buildings remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Eddie Estrada of Fontana, left, elbow bumps with Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. With the coronavirus forcing churches and places of worship to suspend services or move them online, some churches decide to hold a drive-in service. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Matthew Montague of Fontana, left, was moved to worship outside his car during a drive-in service at his local Lighthouse Church as Teresa Lemus of Fontana watches on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson wipes down a mic before a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson gives a fiery sermon that includes sharing his toilet paper with a stranger during a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church’s First Lady Linda Richardson ties on a mask before videotaping her husband leading a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. She also spoke at the podium. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson gives a hopeful sermon encouraging his congregation to not succumb to coronavirus fear during a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson, left, leads a drive-in service as Matthew Montague of Fontana listens in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church Pastor Cecil Richardson asks the congregation to put their hands up if they want him to pray for them during a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Teresa Lemus of Fontana says a few words of encouragement during the Lighthouse Church’s drive-in service on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church holds a Stay-In-Your-Car service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Fontana residents Eddie Estrada, left, and Teresa Lemus attend the Lighthouse Church drive-in service on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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Lighthouse Church’s First Lady Linda Richardson told her grandchildren not to have fear, but faith during a drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. Her husband Pastor Cecil Richardson has a front row seat. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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The attendance was light during Lighthouse Church’s drive-in service in Fontana on Sunday, March 29, 2020. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)
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For people of faith who find their places of worship shuttered because of the coronavirus pandemic, the opportunity to gather, to be greeted by smiles, waves and live human voices can feel rare and precious.
On Sunday, March 29, about 30 cars filled with families — several with children and pets — gathered in a parking lot in Santa Ana to listen to the Rev. Robert A. Schuller preach from the balcony of a brown office building, as they tuned in to an FM radio station to hear his voice.
His father is the late Robert H. Schuller, founder of the Crystal Cathedral megachurch, which was born as a drive-in ministry at the Orange drive-in theater in 1955, where the older Schuller planted the seeds of what would become a worldwide church through the power of televangelism.
Now, his son is hosting a pop-up drive-in church out of sheer necessity, using the same slogan his father did more than six decades ago to draw the faithful: “Come as you are in your family car.”
Appetite for live connection
Schuller and his wife, Donna, who have been broadcasting Sunday sermons on Facebook Live over the past few years, say they have decided to venture out into the real world to host these drive-in services hoping to satisfy churchgoers’ appetite for good, old-fashioned personal interaction, live connection and fellowship.
Leaders of other churches and congregations around Southern California say they are thinking about hosting drive-in services, drive-up communion and other such activities that keep people within the confines of their vehicles so they continue to observe social distancing while congregating — even if it’s in a parking lot — to practice their faith.
Mindy Stearns drove from Newport Beach with her husband, Glenn, and their daughters were huddled in the back with blankets in the family’s SUV along with their 180-pound black Newfoundland dog, Bear.
“It’s nice to go back to something that’s close to a traditional gathering,” Stearns said. “With the coronavirus, the world has slowed down. This is a good opportunity for us to stop and appreciate one another. I feel like we’d stopped doing that. Thanks to events such as these and technology, we can still remain connected with our communities.
“In my mind, there’s no social distancing — only physical distancing.”
Debbie King of Long Beach said she brought a couple of her friends — in separate cars, of course — to Schuller’s drive-in service. She usually goes to Hope at the Beach in Seal Beach, where congregants meet Sunday mornings on the sand. But, now, even beaches are shut down.
“We all miss our home churches, which are closed because of the virus,” King said. “Just being here in the presence of others brings me great joy.”
At the drive-in, volunteers offered coffee with gloved hands to people in their cars. Visitors lowered their windows and waved to one another from afar. One family propped up lawn chairs on the bed of their pickup truck as they watched Schuller preach.
As he ended his sermon, Schuller said he’ll continue to host these drive-in services until churches open their doors again.
“Look around you,” he said. “The church will survive. The church will be here. It’s bigger than us. There will be a time when we’ll be able to hug each other again, when this is all behind us.”
Trying to regain normalcy
Other churches around Southern California also have been experimenting with drive-in church. At the Lighthouse Church in Fontana, Bishop Cecil Richardson and his wife, Linda, have been hosting Sunday evening services in the parking lot. The first Sunday, it began to pour, but passers-by helped the pastor pitch a tent within minutes and continue his sermon.
Richardson said they’ve been getting a few cars for each service. People are even stopping on their bicycles and motorcycles, he said.
“I just want to reach people and let them know the world is not going to end and we’re going to make it through this,” Richardson said. “I want them to know it’s OK to be afraid. But, through Christ, we can conquer that fear.”
Some churches are thinking about drive-in services as an option, at least, for Easter. Like most congregations, Mission Hills Church in Mission Viejo is livestreaming its services Sunday mornings. For the past few years, the church has been hosting weekly drive-through prayers, where passers-by can drive in and request volunteers to pray for them. But, with the coronavirus outbreak, that has been suspended indefinitely.
A drive-in service is probably the closest you can get to normalcy right now, said Pastor Brian Anderson, who leads the congregation.
“When everything is abnormal and out of the ordinary, we can’t wait to get back to what we’re used to,” he said. “A drive-in puts you in the same location as other people and gives you some experience of what is a normal pattern of living. It’s something unique, but it’s also something close to normal.”
Churches challenged to be creative
Many churches around the country are wondering how to creatively solve the issue of social distancing, and livestreaming is proving costly for many smaller congregations, said Gerardo Marti, L. Richardson King professor of sociology at Davidson College in North Carolina. Marti also has a forthcoming book on Robert H. Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral megachurch, which he has co-authored with sociologist Mark Mulder.
“There are a lot of costs involved in a video service,” he said. “You have to upgrade your Internet, you need a better camera, sound crew and processing. If you have to do it well and you already know what the limitations of Facebook Live are, then it’s going to be an investment. This is where a drive-in can help, because it’s a lot cheaper.”
People are struggling to imagine church without it being a physical presence, Marti said. A drive-in church can help make up for some of those losses.
“You can do baptisms,” he said. “Schuller baptized children through car windows. It’s possible. Churches and individuals within churches are remarkably innovative. It’s entirely possible that people will see drive-in churches as viable and something that’s preferred over online services.”
Daytona Beach Drive-in Christian Church in Daytona Beach, Florida, is one of the oldest drive-in churches in the country, worshiping at the same site for 66 years. The Rev. Bob Kemp-Baird, the senior pastor, said the church was founded in a drive-in movie theater and has become accustomed to “doing church as an outdoor experience,” and maintain the drive-in services even though they’ve added buildings over the years.
He still sees 200 to 250 cars per service now, which adds up to about 400 people per service. He holds two services every Sunday broadcasting through a radio transmitter so people who drive in can hear him in their vehicles. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, his church was one where people with certain disabilities or compromised immune systems, have been able to come, Kemp-Baird said.
“They don’t have to navigate coming into a building to enjoy being with people and experience the feeling of togetherness,” he said.
Keeping hope alive
Another church in Orange County plans to host its first-ever drive-up communion the afternoon of April 4. New Hope Presbyterian Church will organize a “worship parade” on that day, when some members will stand along the street, 6 to 8 feet apart, waving to people as they come in their cars to take communion, said the Rev. Chineta Goodjoin, who leads the African-American congregation whose composition is multiethnic.
Once they turn into the parking lot, volunteers will hand out “communion pods” packaged in plastic.
“They can then go home and watch our service online and take the communion,” Goodjoin said. “We’re taking all safety measures.”
Those serving the communion will don gloves and masks, and social distancing will be strictly observed, the pastor said.
“We may not meet face to face, but we will meet heart to heart,” she said. “We made the right decision when we shut our church’s doors. But, people could not fathom not being in a place of hope at a time of hopelessness.”
Throughout the civil rights movement, it was the church that kept people in a place of hope, Goodjoin said.
“But the church is not just a building,” she said. “We have a responsibility as faith leaders to still give hope. And hope is not quarantined.”
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