Among American fast food chains, drive-thru services have been available to the public since the 1940s where customers can conveniently order, pay for and receive food in the comfort of their vehicle. Since then, banks, post offices, pharmacies and now churches have discovered how beneficial drive-thru services can be.
Umoja Christian Church on Indianapolis’ westside near Lafayette Road is conducting their own two-day drive-thru prayer event on July 8 from 6-8 p.m. and July 11 from noon until 3 p.m. at 3685 Commercial Drive.
Jennifer Jones, marketing ministry leader at Umoja said the idea is more of a marketing tool as well as a way to both minister and get the church’s name out to the community.
“One of the intercessors, Stacy, mentioned before of the idea of a drive-thru prayer, so we came together to talk about our vision for the event,” said Jones, who assisted the team in further developing the event.
These days the popularity of holding drive-thru prayer events are increasing. From Florida, to Minneapolis and California, churches are finding this is an effective method of impacting the community.
Holy Spirit Church in Fremont, Calif., began offering drive-thru prayer in November 2014. Within the first hour, over 25 cars showed up.
“We are living in a time when people don’t have a lot of time on the go, so we wanted to provide something like drive-thru food, drive-thru coffee – why not drive-thru God?” said Mathew Vellankal, who serves as the church pastor. “God on the go.”
Jones explained a similar process for Umjoa’s drive-thru.
“It’s a motivational place where you can stop by the area and get prayer. We have a lot of traffic on Commercial Drive and we want to catch some of that traffic, direct them to our prayer drive-thru lane and get a quick prayer,” she said. “Some people may want information on the church but some may feel nervous to come in and engage in church service on Sunday. Some don’t want to be in church all day, so drive-thru prayer is for them.”
She also believes this event will appeal to the younger generation who like to obtain information quickly.
Intercessors, ministers and ministerial staff will be on hand to facilitate the prayers while other church members can deliver information about the church’s mission, vision and programs.
“This event is a way for the church to extend themselves outside of its doors and be easily assessable,” stated Jones. “If it goes well, we will definitely do it again.”
For more information, visit Umoja.church or call (317) 295-8520.
