Worship in the Field

West Coast District

Contributor: Martha Ling

“When life brings you lemons, make lemonade!”

We have all been dealt an unexpected hand this spring with COVID-19. It has created quite a challenge in meeting the needs of our congregations while living within the legislated guidelines of our various locales.

After several test starts, hoping to meet semi-normally within our church sanctuary, the Marion, Oregon CoG7 has come up with an alternate plan for worship during the summer of 2020 that will accommodate the size of our congregation.

God has blessed us with a large grassy field on our church campus, so each week we meet in the field. We are spread out in family groupings, socially distanced to meet health guidelines. (Under new rules, the sanctuary does not accommodate all of our attendees.)

Thanks to our deacons and sound team bringing power to the field, we can once again listen, in person, to the worship team and pastors on their improvised trailer stage. All of us worship together, masked or unmasked (depending on our comfort level), praising our Lord and Savior! At the same time, we continue to livestream the service for those who cannot be physically present.

If you find yourself in our neighborhood this summer, stop by and join in! We have plenty of room in God’s field!