OAKWOOD VILLAGE, Ohio — Many churches have taken their services digital due to COVID-19 concerns, but Sunday, Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood Village tried something new —holding a drive-in service.
Mt. Zion’s senior pastor, Reverend Larry Macon Sr., said the drive-in service was all about reaching parishioners and letting them engage in their spirituality while also accommodating their safety needs and concerns.
Pastor Macon said the church decided to hold the drive-in service after many parishioners said they would prefer to not go inside the sanctuary.
Each family drove into the church’s parking lot, parked and turned on their radios where they could hear the pastor’s sermon as he stood on a stage several feet away.
The message of the sermon focused on the COVID-19 outbreak and the belief that faith will carry them through.
“This particular disease is relevant to people and we have to speak to them, but we have to let them know that we in America especially, and in the world, we have survived so many other diseases before and it's no doubt predicted that there’s going to be more diseases that we’re going to have to go through,” Pastor Macon said. “We think God is the answer for us right now.”
Each family left service with a blessing and friendly farewell and Pastor Macon hopes they’ll be a comfort during this time.
“If it didn’t help them, I can tell you what, it sure helped our family. Because we miss our church and our community. That’s what we do. We do church, we live church, we breathe church.”
Pastor Macon said the church plans to hold more drive-in services, including next Sunday, depending on the weather forecast. In the meantime, he’s also encouraging people to follow the church’s social media pages to stay connected from home.
Click here to learn more about Mt. Zion's drive-in services.
Jade Jarvis is a reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
