BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — The Florida East Coast Baptist Association is going beyond the walls of the church to reinvigorate the church community.
The organization is meeting for its two-day summit in Boynton Beach this week.
More than 75 churches are participating from Cocoa Beach to South Miami.
The annual meeting comes as concerns grow over the long-term effects of the pandemic on church members.
“They are now outside of their norm,” said Toby Philpart, moderator for the Florida East Coast Baptist Association. “We’re reconnecting because people may not come back and that is very concerning.”
RETURNING TO SERVICES ⛪️🕍🕌 Pew Research Center survey finds a growing share of Americans are now attending religious services in person...a clear majority (64%) report they actually have gone in person in the past month, the first time surveys started when the pandemic began pic.twitter.com/k8CBK9kRmA
— Linnie Supall (@LinnieSupall) October 28, 2021
The association will continue to bridge the digital divide among members by continuing to host virtual church services.
Members of the organization also spent time this week volunteering at The Lord’s Place homeless shelter in Boynton Beach.
“The Florida East Coast understands that part of its mission is to go beyond the walls of the church,” said Jovan Davis, pastor of St. John Missionary Baptist Church. “One of the things that we are doing in this conference is we're actually going to be going to the Lord's Place as well as the Boulevard Manor Rehabilitation Center here in Boynton Beach as a service project to engage in outreach.”
The religious landscape is quickly changing across the country.
Pew Research Center is reporting a growing share of Americans are now attending religious services in person.
According to the report, among those who say they typically attend services at least once or twice a month, a clear majority (64 percent) report that they have gone in person in the past month, the first time that has been the case in three surveys conducted since the pandemic began.
