Religion on the road

Sunday, 26 June 2005

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

Cedar Point and the new indoor waterparks may be the first stop for vacationers, but local churches don't want it to be the only one.

With more than 7 million visitors coming to the area every summer, and vacations expected to be extended with the added draw of the indoor waterparks, churches are reaching out.

Jeff Claar, business manager at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sandusky, said 10,000 cards with Mass times for the three Sandusky parishes are being printed. The cards will be distributed to hotels and various tourists spots.

Every summer, tourists attend mass at Sandusky's parishes, but the church wants to make sure it is reaching everyone, he said.

Sandusky parishes are already listed in the church roster that is distributed to all the hotels on U.S. 250 and Cleveland Road. The brochure is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club and has been distributed for several years.

"When Catholics travel, attending Mass on Sunday is an obligation," Claar said.

The Rev. Lenore Kure of First Congregational United Church of Christ, 431 Columbus Ave., said her church has a history of reaching out to tourists.

In the 1890s, the church had a "Gospel Wagon" that made several stops along the waterfront.

Seven years ago, her church started Shoreline Ministries Outdoor Community Worship as a way to continue that mission. Services are at 8 a.m. at Shoreline Park in the summer.

Kure's congregation also hosts a potluck on the church lawn at 6 p.m. every Thursday. The potluck is geared toward tourists, but mostly community members attend.

"We never get a real deep relationship with (tourists), they just come and go, and they probably like it that way," Kure said.

The Rev. Rob Patton of St. Stephen United Church of Christ, 905 E. Perkins Ave., said his congregation has been exploring different strategies to attract tourists.

Sandusky tourists used to spend two days at Cedar Point and then a day at the lake, he said. Now, they might be in the area longer because of the waterparks.

"People on a three-day vacation are less likely to worship than those on a seven-day vacation," the pastor said.

Patton said it would be interesting to explore the idea of taking his church service to an indoor waterpark, although his church already has a few regular summer folks who have a summer cabin or boats.

"A lot of people look for their denomination and see our sign and say, 'I am UCC,' and stop here," Patton said.

The church has an 8 a.m. service that is ideal for tourists because it is no longer than 45 minutes, and casual as far as clothing goes.

"A lot of people like that because they can worship and get on with summer activities," he said.

Cedar Point spokesman Robin Innes said Cedar Point has been having church services at the park since the 1930s. Currently, two Sunday morning services take place at Hotel Breakers East.

Also, the park provides information to guests and employees about other churches in the area.

Bruce Morrison, pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church, 214 E. Jefferson St., said tourists aren't the only ones missing church. Because many locals work at tourist spots, they also can't make it to church on Sundays.

Two weeks ago, Trinity started a 7 p.m. Wednesday service geared toward seasonal employees and tourists.

Morrison several people told him a year ago they wouldn't be at church until the Cedar Point season was over because they worked every Sunday.

Also, many locals, such as the Schneider family, have guests in the summer or are traveling on the weekends.

"We went the other night because the preceding Sunday we had been out of town at a family wedding," Bob Schneider said about the Wednesday service. "It was nice making it up."

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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