April, 1996

Dear Pastor,

Greetings to you in the name of our risen Lord.

In this monthly letter I would like to describe for you briefly a situation that I trust will give an insight into why some people attend the Woodland Drive-In Church. For the past few weeks we have had a gentleman attending our services whose membership resides on a local Grand Rapids church. Apparently he is in the midst of a domestic crisis right now that makes it all but impossible for him to attend his home church.

People have been asking him why he is attending a drive-in church when there are so many other churches around. His response to me ran something like this: “People just don’t understand. I know if I were to attend some other church, members there might flock around me and want to talk to me. But I don’t want to talk to everybody about my situation. What I need right now is space, as difficult as that may be.” As he briefly discussed his situation with me, I could see he was fighting back tears. He wants to choose whom to talk to and whom to open up his heart to.

You see, while for perhaps 98 percent of people, being surrounded by a group of friendly brothers and sisters in Christ is an important aspect of going to a church for the first time, for a small percentage that is the last thing they want. That is where our ministry can fit in. Our greeters are trained to give a sincere welcome, but to be sensitive to those who desire keep their distance and not to talk about themselves.

I fully expect that in a couple months, the home situation of this man will stabilize so that can resume attending his own church. Nothing would make me happier than to no longer have him attending our services, knowing that he is where he really wants to be. It is not the main purpose of our ministry to have him—or any of those who attend our worship services—to be long-time
worshipers with us. What we want is to minister to people in their time of need and to serve as an intermi or transition church until they can find a permanent church home.

Pray for us as we seek to minister on your behalf to a wide variety of people.

Sincerely,
Verlyn D. Verbrugge