Bonita Springs, Florida- Hundreds came out to experience church outside of the box on Saturday night. Riverside Park in Bonita Springs, Florida was packed during a free worship event hosted by 423 Praise, a ministry dedicated to seeing the glory of God transform people with praise and worship. It’s been said for years by many Christians that Church is not just a building, but a body of believers.
The covid-19 pandemic certainly didn’t help grow the church. According to a study done by Gallup, Americans have been less likely to attend religious services over the past three years, and it does not appear that church attendance will revert to pre-pandemic levels. Pew Research reports one-in-five Americans say they attend religious services in person less often than before the pandemic. The Samaritan’s Purse President Reverend Franklin Graham told Fox News that Christian faith in America has never been lower.
So how can the church ‘body’ reach people outside of the church building? The Praise in the Park event demonstrated the love of God and Christian faith expressed in several ways outside the church walls. Christmas lights and decorations adorned the trees and stage at Riverside. Local radio stations, ministries and food trucks were present. There were bounce houses and street performers for kids. The open lawn was filled with chairs, and some brought blankets to sit on, although many people danced and waved flags while musicians played. It was a joyful, family-fun, festive night.
A member of Naples’ Freedom Life Church who was at the park on Saturday, Lumi Dupu, commented about the event.
“First off, I love the fact that so many different churches put aside their differences and came out together as one body. Secondly, I loved the liberty and freedom that people had to manifest however they wanted. Some may have acted or looked weird, but hey, who cares? It’s a park!”
Some Americans would never want to visit a local church for a variety of reasons. If people are not willing to go to the church building, the church body will have to go out and share God’s love in more creative ways to reach people. Hosting a free concert with food and fun for the whole family proved to be one way to take church out of the box.
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