They were staying away from church in droves. How to bring them back?
Leaders of nine Laurel churches left their sanctuaries to get out in the neighborhoods and extend a welcome for people to return to church this Easter.
“What we?re trying to do is get residents to be a little bit more aware of what Christ has to offer and that the churches are here,” said Emmanuel Iphraim, of the multicultural First Baptist Church.
“People tend to turn to their church for help. But often, when they?re way deep up to their necks in crisis, it makes it very difficult to help. We want to help people to build strong foundations that will protect them in times of catastrophe or crisis.”
Iphraim and pastors from eight other Laurel churches have banded together to invite residents to come to church not just for Christmas and Easter, but all the time.
The churches? Web site, CelebrateEaster.net, lets people find church members and directions and includes a page where you can request people at all nine churches pray for you.
Over the past several weeks, Kevin McGhee, senior pastor of Bethany Community Church, helped organize a door-to-door campaign to invite residents.
If people already attend church, McGhee, who writes occasional Examiner columns, asks them to invite their neighbors.
The churches face an uphill battle, according to several polls and research organizations.
Pollsters found religion is “very important” in the lives of 57 percent of America, according to a new Gallup poll.
But that?s down 20 percent from just two or three decades ago. And 47 percent of American adults attend church, not counting weddings or funerals, according to the research organization Barna Group.
“Attendance has been kind of up and down in the past few years for a variety of reasons,” said Rev. Tom Miller, of Holy Trinity Lutheran.
Holy Trinity sends home postcards and encourages parishioners to hand them to neighbors and friends with an invitation to go to church. First Baptist Church has a budget for marketing efforts such as advertising in the Yellow Pages and through the Internet.
“I think people are looking for some strength and spiritual connection,” Miller said.
