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A Seoul-based church holds a “drive-in” service at a drive-in theater in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Mar. 22.

As most religious establishments have suspended on-site services to prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus, one Seoul-based church held a “drive-in” service with attendees remaining in their vehicles at an outdoor drive-in theater in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Mar. 22. It’s a new example of the forms of “social distancing” that are being practiced to halt the virus’s spread.

Sixty-five vehicles pulled up around 1 pm on Mar. 22 at the Jayu (Freedom) Road Car Theater in Tongil Dongsan Park of Paju’s Tanhyeon township. Around 240 people attended in their cars in family units of two to four. Congregation members at a church in Seoul’s Gwangjin District, they had driven for over an hour to reach Paju. After parking their cars in neat rows in front of a second-floor office with a temporary platform erected, attendees tuned in their radio frequencies to follow earnestly along with the service, singing hymns and listening to the pastor’s sermon from their vehicles.

Through the week before, the church had been holding online services and small services of around 30 people at intervals in accordance with government guidelines since the virus outbreak. As it offered different forms of services which people could choose to suit their circumstances, the number of attendees exceeded its levels before the outbreak. But with growing calls to suspend group services, even the small-scale services were becoming a major source of issues. After some consideration, church administration hit upon a method similar to the “drive-thru screening clinics” used to test for the virus -- allowing families to attend services inside their cars – and began inquiring about drive-in theaters around Seoul.

A Seoul-based church holds a “drive-in” service at a drive-in theater in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on Mar. 22.

“We were thinking about how to slake the thirst for services while offering complete virus protection, and we hit upon the drive-thru,” a church pastor explained, calling it “the optimal choice to fulfill our responsibility under the present situation.”

“We had some pregnant mothers and other congregation members in high-risk groups who had long been unable to attend services after the coronavirus outbreak started. They’re very grateful to the ministry for providing this opportunity,” the official added.

A 45-year-old minister with the church surnamed Kim said, “It seems like religious freedom is something that’s difficult to understand for our neighbors. We believe the space for freedom will broaden as churches fulfill their social responsibility.”

Moved by the church’s sincerity, the drive-in theater’s owners made it available free of usage charges, including fees for the video and sound system.

“With services unable to go on normally for over a month, we’ve recently had a number of inquiries from churches asking if they can give Sunday services,” a Jayu Road Car Theater official explained.

“I think the older people are not really accustomed to the online service approach. If this is another acceptable method, then we plan to open up our venue and facilities until the coronavirus situation is over, giving priority to Paju-area churches,” the official added.

By Park Kyung-man, North Gyeonggi correspondent

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