Worship places reaching out in more nontraditional ways

On Ash Wednesday, in addition to its traditional service, Christ United Methodist Church in Shreveport will offer drive through ashes.

"We have it set up in the parking lot so people can just stay in their cars," associate pastor Kelly Berne said. "For people to be able to come in and drive through, if they need a moment of prayer we'll have that with them or if they feel they have a lot to get off their chests we'll have that moment with them and we'll pray with them and we'll have the imposition of the ashes."

Berne said in previous years, about 100 people have driven through to receive ashes.

As times change, places of worship are finding it necessary to move away from tradition by leaving the comfort of the pulpit and the church walls in efforts to minister to people.

Ashes to Go is one effort that has caught on with some local churches.

"Some of them are members of our church who, for various reasons, due to health or work or schedules, aren't able to get here on Sundays or aren't able to make our Wednesday night service," she said. "So they enjoy the opportunity to stay connected to the church."

Valerie Robideaux, chaplain and director of professional discernment at Centenary College, said some churches are being more creative in their forms of ministry in part because of an attendance decline in mainline denominations.

"The 'come join us for worship' model church is proving no longer effective," she said. "Simultaneously, there is a reinvigoration of a broader discussion of the nature of ministry, namely that the church is more than a building."

The people make up the church, she said, and are to engage in ministry beyond the church walls.

"Both of these trends suggest that communities will likely see churches deviate from ministry norms in an effort to more effectively live out the mission of being the hands and feet of Christ in the world," Robideaux said.

The Rev. Bill McBride, of St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Shreveport, is taking ashes to the streets again this year.

"It's the example set by Jesus," he said. "He didn't sit and wait for folks to come to him. He went where the people were."

McBride said about 40 people attended the Ashes to Go service last year.

"That's more than we had in the traditional service," he said.

Berne said in previous services, a few people from other denominations stopped by Christ United Methodist to receive the ashes.

"I don't think Jesus ever wanted us to stay confined to the church," she said. "Every time we read about him, he's out in the field doing his work and doing his preaching and this gives us the opportunity to do something outside the church doors and to try to reach people on all different levels."

Taking ashes to the streets is just one of many ways places of worship are reaching out to the community.

On the second Saturday of each month, members of Celebration Church take to the streets to minister to people in the Queensborough neighborhood.

"The second Saturday of every month we have the Queensborough Kids Club," outreach coordinator Keegan Sullivan said. "We take a group of people from the church and we go to the Queensborough Friendship House and it's just a Saturday where we'll go through the neighborhood knocking on doors and just getting kids to come meet us at the Friendship House."

Once there, Sullivan said they play games for 35 to 45 minutes and then have Bible study and lunch.

"In Queensborough, where lunch may not always be consistent, it's really a good way to reach the kids there," he said. "We always bring extra lunches and we send the kids home with lunches."

Sullivan said they also are aware of who the shut-ins are in the neighborhood.

"We go with the kids and the kids deliver lunches to them so they can give back to their community," he said.

Rabbi Jana De Benedetti, of B'Nai Zion Congregation, said people connect to each other and to the things that are important to them in different ways than ever before.

"We have the Internet now and we stream our services on Friday nights," she said. "So people can be in their homes and be at services at the same time. It's a changing world."

De Benedetti said it's an advantage for both older people who can't get out as much and also for youths.

"If our teens and 20-somethings have a way — because they're used to socializing on the Internet other than face to face — of getting involved in their comfort zone, I think it's an advantage," she said.

McBride said St. Matthias also takes its ministry to retirement centers.

"We go out to three different retirement centers and do services there," he said. "We are at the War Veterans Home in Bossier on the second Tuesday of each month, Azalea Estates on Flournoy Lucas Road on the second Thursday of each month and the Glen on the third Tuesday."

Another way Christ United Methodist reaches out is through The Well, a contemporary service in the gym.

"We've noticed that a lot of people don't feel comfortable in a sanctuary, whether it's their past or whatever reason but they're comfortable with the setup of the contemporary service, which we hold on Sunday mornings at 11," Berne said. "And that gives them an opportunity to feel comfortable and to get to know Jesus and have a relationship with Jesus."

Berne said the service isn't targeted to any one particular group.

"We welcome anybody," she said. "We have folks that like to come dressed up and then we have folks that come in jeans and shorts."

Sullivan said he's a firm believer that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

"You can preach at them all day but if you're not in the streets with them or in their day-to-day lives, you're not making an impact on them," he said.

Twitter: @sshephardLIFE

Ashes to Go

• Christ United Methodist Church parking lot, 1204 Crabapple Drive, Shreveport, 11 .m. to 1 p.m., 2 to 4 p.m. Feb. 18.

• St. Matthias Episcopal Church's service is 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the corner of Texas and Spring streets, downtown Shreveport.

Traditional Ash Wednesday services

• Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, 939 Jordan St., Shreveport: 8:15 a.m., 12:05 p.m., 5:30 p.m.

• St. Jude Catholic Church, 4700 Palmetto Road, Benton: 7 a.m., noon, 6:30 p.m.

• St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 3301 Saint Matthias Drive, Shreveport: 10 a.m.

• Christ United Methodist Church, 1204 Crabapple Drive, Shreveport: 6 p.m.

• First United Methodist Church, 500 Common St., Shreveport: noon, 6 p.m.

• Grace United Methodist Church, 9400 Ellerbe Road, Shreveport: 6:30 p.m.