NO SHOW!

  SUNDAY, APRIL 12TH., 2020
                NO  SHOW!

    My wife and I had planned to go to
the Drive In on this Easter night. Now,
it seems, the show won't go on.
     An area pastor, Lafe Isaacson, had
come up with a unique way to celebrate
Easter by keeping people apart while
bringing them together!
     The idea was to have a locally
prepared Easter service on screen at
the recently reopened Moonlight Drive
In Theater in West Wyoming Borough.
      Worshipers could come, and stay
in their cars while watching the sermon
on screen and listening through their
car radios. No personal contact. No
concession stand or rest room facilities
during the hour long presentation.
      Seemed like a very safe way to
celebrate Easter together, yet apart.
       But safe or not the powers that
be, both at the local and state level,
pulled the plug on the projectors.
Because the service was not taking
place on religious grounds (read that
church property) it would not qualify
for an exemption to the order
requiring non-life sustaining businesses
to shut down during the coronavirus
pandemic.
        I've got a couple of questions
about that decision. Probably stems
from my days  in the News room and
Sunday School.
        First, I've always been under the
impression you didn't need a building
to have a "church." Seems to me a
remember one prominent biblical
character saying something like
"Where two or more gather in my
name, there I am also."
       There are those who might also
argue that during these times of fear
and isolation, religion might well be
considered a life sustaining business!
        There's also, at the state and federal
level, documents called Constitutions.
Both of them prohibit laws (or read that
rules or advisories) interfering with the
observance of one's religious freedom.
         I totally understand the concern
about churches that continue to gather
people together in the same room for
services during this crisis. But the
Drive In concept seemed a great
way to "have your cake and eat it
too."
       But, look at the bright side!
Drive In or not, the star of the show
will NOT be a no show!
       Hope you'll have a Happy
Easter and that all your NEWS is
good!