Drive-Through Services are set to resume at Dunseverick Baptist Church on the North Coast from this Sunday, 24th May 2020 at 11am.
Pastor Billy Jones explains more:
“In March, due to the Coronavirus pandemic in the UK and indeed throughout the world, we at Dunseverick Baptist church have endeavoured to show and share the love and hope that Jesus brings into not only our church fellowship but our community family.
“Scientific and medical authorities advised the Stormont Executive yesterday that it is now safe to enact Step 1 of the roadmap to re-opening our society. This includes under the ‘Family and Community’ section the re-opening of churches for individual prayer and the start of ‘Drive Through Church services’. This has brought a great deal of encouragement to those from the faith community, whatever their denomination affiliation may be.”
Dunseverick Baptist church have been holding this format of service during the summer months for some years and plan to start a Drive Through service on Sunday morning, 24th May, for the whole community in the large church car park located close to the iconic Giants Causeway on the North Antrim coast.
Pastor Jones went on to say: “The question that’s on most peoples minds is, ‘what exactly is a Drive Through service?’ as it conjures up images of fast food outlets, we will not be offering food for the stomach but spiritual food for the soul!!!
At a Drive Through service, those who attend will come into our church car park and remain in their cars throughout the service. Upon arrival they will be guided by stewards, who will be wearing masks for protection of themselves and those attending, and directed to their parking space in front of a raised platform or in our case a potato lorry with its sides opened where I, along with a musician maintaining social distancing, will conduct the service.”
Billy also explained why ‘Drive-Through’ services are beneficial.
He said: “Those from the faith community have a great desire for gathering communally to worship the Lord, singing out his praises, this we call fellowship, but more importantly, it is to meet with God. This has been restricted to social media platforms since the lockdown but actually seeing each other, though across a carpark, brings both spiritual blessing but also practical benefit to all who come along, who may not have seen a family member or friend for two months and is not possible to experience this in same way while sitting in your living room at home, chatting via social media.”
Looking ahead to what will be a very special day, Pastor Jones revealed:
“This Sunday, as well as worshipping God and hearing His Word we plan to have a communal time of prayer and reflection in which we remember all the families of those who have sadly passed away due to coronavirus in our province and indeed who have lost loved ones during this time of lockdown also to give thanks for those NHS workers on the frontline during this pandemic.
We would like to invite our local community to join us this Sunday morning, to enjoy worship and fellowship and have an encounter with the Lord.”
You can find Dunseverick Baptist Church at 200 Whitepark Road, Bushmills, BT57 8SR. Find them on Facebook here for more information about the fellowship.
