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August 2009 issue
Features
Julie B. Sevig
Story by
Julie B. Sevig
Image by
Corey Vilhauer
Come as you are
For 60 years, this Iowa church has offered drive-in worship

At promptly 8:30 a.m., Robert C. Vaage climbs the narrow steps to a wooden stage and faces the congregation. When he leans into the microphone and says “Good morning,” the congregation playfully responds by honking their horns.

Members and visitors either sit in
Members and visitors either sit in the comfort of their cars or stretch out on lawnchairs for the 45-minute worship service at First Lutheran Church, Milford (West Okoboji), Iowa.
“I love it, I love it,” he tells them. “I tell people this is a little bit like being on the radio, there’s very little feedback. But when you honk, at least I know you’re out there.”

Vaage is leading worship in a field behind First Lutheran Church, Milford, Iowa. Snug inside their cars and trucks, worshipers study the bulletin that ushers handed them as they drove past a sign welcoming them to the “Nation’s Oldest Outdoor Worship Service.”

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