Monday, April 13, 2020

Social Distancing: Parking Lot Easter Service

Waterbury, Connecticut

Driving north after shooting in a nearly deserted Waterbury city center Easter Sunday morning, I passed a small strip mall with a nearly full parking lot. Car horns were blowing and out of the corner of my eye I saw that someone was speaking with a microphone. Then I remembered there's a storefront church in the little shopping center. I found a place to turn around and parked the car.



Restoration Springs Interdenominational Church was in full swing with a drive-in parking lot service. Most people were in their cars, others were out of or on top of the cars but staying in family groups with good distance between them.



The preacher was animated and dynamic. Amens and hallelujahs rang out, and were reinforced by car horns. He also kept interrupting himself to remind everyone that while they were following the decrees of the mayor and the governor to maintain social distancing today at church, everyone must be sure to keep it up all day, every day. "Praise the Lord!" "Hallelujah!" "Honk Honk Honk!"



There was a DJ to substitute for Hammond organ and choir. I realized the reason I knew the church was there was that I'd walked past during services and heard, or rather felt, the thunderous music, back in normal times.






(Note: the very essence of what's going on here makes it difficult to read the pictures small. I've uploaded larger than usual files and hope that, if you click on one of the pictures to see the set in the much larger view you'll get a better idea of what's going on.) UPDATE: that backfired. I've changed the files and now you will get a much bigger view by clicking on any of the pictures, big enough to really see what's going on.

2 comments:

Billmcf1 said...

Phenomenal, Carl. Especially the first one.

Carl Weese said...

Thanks Bill. If you spend enough time out looking, sometimes you get "lucky."