Lithonia church holds drive in church service to keep worshipers healthy

LITHONIA, Ga. - Many churches in Georgia have switched to online services to help people stay healthy, but The 3D Church in Lithonia started a new kind of service called "Pull Up and Praise," where worshipers can come to church but stay in their cars.

"You can't quarantine Jesus," said John Elmore III, The 3D Church's Lead Pastor.

Dozens of families gathered in the parking lot of The 3D Church for the special Sunday service.

"Depression and anxiety is on the rise, and so we wanted to give people a chance to get out, get up, and have fellowship and have fun, but be safe," said Tocarro Combs, of The 3D Church.

Instead of having families inside the church, the pastors invited people to worship from inside their cars to avoid spreading the coronavirus. If they couldn't hear the pastor on the sound system in the parking lot, they can live stream the service on their phones or tune into a radio station to listen in.

Worshippers said this new idea to get them safely out of the house is an answered prayer:

"I have anxiety, and mental health is a huge thing, and so being around like minded people, while being safe in our cars, is a huge relief," said worshiper Ahnna Jackson.
"We want to protect everybody," said Elmore. "The people who are singing, we're cleaning the microphones," he said.

Throughout the service, the pastor encouraged congregants to honk their horns, flash their lights and wave their hands.

"It's so much fun!" said Jackson.

Until the threat of this virus passes, this church said it won't stop thinking of new ways to bring people comfort.

"Christ through crisis," said Elmore. "That's where we are right now. Everything we're doing now is to empower the person through Jesus, that's how we operate," he said.

The 3D Church wants other organizations out there to know, they're not just here to help congregants.

"We are a training facility, so if there's any other churches that need help, we are here for you," said Combs.

If you would like to attend a Pull up and Praise service, they will be held every Sunday at 11 a.m. at 2244 Panola Road in Lithonia.

You can also text 3DCOVID to 313131 to get updates from the church.