THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 16, 1995 TAG: 9504150074
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 148 lines
CHURCHES EVERYWHERE are accustomed to having their pews full on Easter Sunday.
But Chesapeake, with its booming population growth, has churches of all denominations that fill their sanctuaries year round. Like schools, roads and recreation facilities, many local churches are experiencing growing pains.
``Our church has registered over 100 families since January of this year,'' said the Rev. Chris Haydinger of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Great Bridge. ``Three years ago our membership was around 1,000 families. Now we have 1,500. That's a considerable amount of growth in a short period.''
And Great Bridge churches aren't the only ones benefiting from the influx of newcomers looking for a spiritual home.
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Western Branch recently added a second story to their education wing in order to accommodate their expanding congregation. Even with the additional space, worshipers at Aldersgate have begun to feel crowded during Sunday services.
``Our sanctuary seats 525, and sometimes we'll set up about 50 folding chairs and still have some folks standing,'' said Bob Cofield, the church's minister.
Local ministers and lay leaders look upon the increased demand not as a problem, but as a blessing. They attribute it not only to the area's growing population, but to a general resurgence in religion.
``People are going to church,'' said Haydinger. ``They're searching for a balance in their lives, and they're turning to God for help.''
While church members welcome the healthy growth of their congregations, they admit it can be problematic.
Crowded sanctuaries not only pose fire safety considerations, they can be counterproductive.
``We have documented evidence that we have lost members because they can't find a seat,'' said John Payne, interim pastor for Great Bridge Presbyterian Church. ``When people visit, they don't always stay if the sanctuary is crowded.''
Church officials are doing all they can to meet the increasing demand.
``God wants us to grow,'' said Payne. ``Part of our job is to reach out to the community. To be there for them.''
But ministers find that servicing the needs of their congregation becomes increasingly difficult when the congregation grows rapidly.
``If you don't have the facilities or the staff to grow, it's difficult to develop programs and, at times, difficult to minister to the people one on one,'' explained Haydinger.
That means pastors have to be creative when it comes to servicing the needs of their flock. In many cases, church leaders are calling on the talents and time of parishioners to help fill the gap.
Prince of Peace employed that approach by establishing a neighborhood ministry program, which distributes the church's large congregation into several smaller groups, called ``neighborhoods.''
Members keep in touch with their fellow ``neighbors'' via a telephone tree and some neighborhoods organize activities, such as dinners and ball games. Haydinger said the program brings a close-knit atmosphere to the large congregation.
Ministering to the spiritual needs of a large congregation is often easier than figuring out how to cope with an overcrowded building.
``When you go to seminary they teach you how to preach and minister to the sick. But that certainly doesn't prepare you to take care of administrative decisions like this,'' said the Rev. Jim Griffin of St. Therese's Catholic Church in Western Branch.
More often than not, the answer is new construction. Scaffolding, bulldozers and construction crews are a familiar sight these days, as churches add to sanctuaries or education wings or build new ones.
Just a few weeks ago, Great Bridge United Methodist Church finished its new sanctuary, which seats 400 persons - 160 more than the sanctuary it replaced.
The congregation of St. Therese's Catholic Church recently raised more than $600,000 to finance new construction, which will add about 10,000 square feet of floor space to the existing building. The construction at St.
Even smaller congregations are expanding or improving their sites. New Galilee Baptist Church in Great Bridge is in the process of building its new 11,800-square-foot building, which will seat 500, nearly twice the capacity of the present structure.
New Weeping Mary Missionary Baptist Church, also in Great Bridge, recently added some 50 parking spaces on its lot so that members would not park on adjoining streets.
``We're hoping we might expand even further one day,'' said John Smith, the church's pastor. ``We'll see what the Lord has planned for us.''
All this new construction costs money, and not all churches are prepared for the expense. Ministers say many of the new churchgoers are young singles and families, who don't have the resources to commit to ambitious building programs.
``Younger people don't always have the resources to tithe,'' said Payne, ``or maybe they didn't grow up in a church, so they don't realize what proportionate giving is all about.''
Since last summer, members of St. Therese's have been using a trailer while waiting for their new structure to be built. The trailer is used for Sunday school classes.
Fellowship Baptist Church in Western Branch has two trailers on the premises which they've been using for several years for meetings and Sunday School classes.
Some ministers are reluctantly considering adding third Sunday-morning services to their programs to accommodate the overflow.
``We have discussed a third service,'' said Payne. ``We need to discuss it further to see if the congregation would prefer another morning service, a vesper service or perhaps a service on Thursday nights for those who go out of town on the weekend.''
Church leaders expect membership growth will encourage regional church leadership to approve future development.
Bob Edwards, communication director for the regional diocese of the Catholic Church, said there are no immediate plans for building another Catholic church in Chesapeake.
The Presbytery of Eastern Virginia is in the process of building a new church in Virginia Beach, which they expect to attract some residents of neighboring Chesapeake. Brad Cartwright, chairman of new church development for the presbytery said, ``It takes about five years from the time you buy the property to the time you have a building and members.''
Despite the expense, church leaders say they look at the building process in a positive way. ``A church in debt is a good thing,'' said Cartwright. ``It shows you have something to work for.'' ILLUSTRATION: ON THE COVER
The photo was taken by Steve Earley.[color cover photo]
The Rev. Bob Cofield presides over a confirmation ceremony at
Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Western Branch.
Staff photos by STEVE EARLEY
Sunday services at Aldersgate United Methodist in Western Branch are
packed with more than prayers. Many are left standing when the 575
seats are filled.
New Weeping Mary Missionary Baptist Church added parking to
accommodate members like these attending Bible study.
Aldersgate United Methodist Church recently added a second story to
its education wing in order to accommodate an expanding
congregation.
The Rev. Jim Griffin of St. Therese's Catholic Church says seminary
training didn't prepare him for handling the decisions that come
with growth.
At Great Bridge Presbyterian Church, where these children are lined
up for Palm Sunday service, overcrowding has hurt membership, says
an interim pastor.
by CNB