Gathering Safely Via FM

As churches nationwide have gone virtual due to the fast-spreading coronavirus, an Assemblies of God church in Kentucky has “tuned in” to meet spiritual needs in the community.

First Assembly of God in Henderson has developed some creative ways to minister in the midst of COVID-19, including broadcasting from an FM station signal to vehicles in the church parking lot.

Pastor Jeff A. Ferguson says his wife, Rochelle, suggested the idea of a drive-in church because it’s the “time for our church to go primitive.”

To accomplish this, the church, which typically draws 400-plus attendees on a weekly basis, purchased an FM transmitter and a member donated the use of a 40-foot trailer that’s used as a stage. The church publicized its first Sunday night drive-in service that took place March 22 through its Facebook page.

“The 30-minute service is simple, with one worship song, announcements and offering, my wife reading a story to the children in attendance, and a short 10-minute message for the purpose of infusing our people with hope and faith in God,” explains Ferguson, who has been lead pastor for eight years. “The environment is thrilling for our members as they see people they have not seen due to the quarantine. They wave at each other through their windows.”

The first drive-in service drew 100-plus cars, with approximately 300 people in attendance.

People have been saved as a result, and some have told Ferguson that they plan to start attending services regularly once the crisis is over.

Ferguson, 39, has taken to using a term youth pastor Joel Adcock coined: “Give God a horn of praise!” That refrain has resulted in drivers honking at intervals during the message as if to say “amen.”

“Yes, it is corny, but it introduces some much needed levity into an already heavy situation,” Ferguson says.

Besides the drive-in service, the church holds nightly times of worship, prayer, and devotion via Facebook Live and YouTube Live that last around 25 minutes.

There’s also a drive-through prayer Wednesday nights at the church, where those in their vehicles receive prayer — from a six-foot distance. Two people have accepted Christ through this outreach.

Additionally, the church, which has operated a food pantry ministry for many years, offers a grocery giveaway on Wednesday nights. First Assembly also streams its Sunday morning church online via Facebook Live and YouTube Live.

Sunday School teachers and children’s ministry volunteers have created lessons via videos to reach out to kids and teenagers through Facebook. The church has recorded its services and sent them to a local nursing home, where residents can't receive visitors.

The church’s efforts have not gone unnoticed by adherents.

“I love how the church has been deployed in new and exciting ways of being God’s ambassadors,” Rosemary Ploss says. “The nightly times are our vitamins and Sunday night drive-in our booster.”

Fellow attendee Stacey Williams, 43, concurs.

“I love our church community and the creative ways they’ve managed to still get us together in a safe way,” Williams says. “The food giveaway is so generous.”

“Our methods do not rely on slick marketing or expensive equipment, but are focused on speaking hope into people desperately searching,” Ferguson says.

Eric Tiansay

Eric Tiansay has been a full-time journalist since 1993, writing articles for Christian media since 2000. He lives in central Florida, where he is an active member of an Assemblies of God church.