Drive-in church allows people to practice their faith

Service looks a little different lately at the Zion Lutheran Church in Grand Coulee. 

COVID-19 social restrictions won't allow typical gatherings, but drive-in services are being allowed now. 

On Sunday, May 17, Pastor Shawn Neider gave a sermon standing on a stump on the grass at the church, while 28 people sat in 16 vehicles, comparable to the church's normal attendance numbers, parked there to hear him.

Neider said that he spoke "about our balance of church and state, obeying God and how sometimes the state's rules are restrictive or contradictory to God."

Neider said that balance is a struggle lately, in finding how to continue to do church and serve people, while also following safety and government guidelines. 

Another outside/drive-in service will be held each Sunday at 11 a.m. until they are allowed to congregate inside again, Neider said, unless, maybe, it rains too hard for people to hear. 

Neider said he is also thinking of recording sermons inside the church and posting them on the church's Facebook page so people can attend service remotely.