On a rainy Sunday morning, March 22, Rev. John Clapp wandered around the west parking lot of Alva's Market, greeting people in the cars gradually filing in, parking in columns, and adjusting their radios to hear what was about to take place.

Alva was having it's first-ever drive-in church.

It took some doing. Alva's Market donated the space. Starr Lumber donated a flat-bed truck for Clapp to stand on. Under a blue canopy to keep off the rain, helpers worked the computers and the sound system.

Teresa Clapp started the service off, standing on the impromptu stage and singing "It Is Well With My Soul."

Then Rev. Clapp climbed the ladder up to the truck bed and thumbed through the Bible for a bit before beginning to speak. The message he brought that day was from Mark 4:1-20 – the story about Jesus and the disciples taking a ship across a sea when a terrible storm arose and the disciples became very afraid.

"The disciples ran to Jesus, who was asleep in the back of the ship, and said, 'Master, carest thou not that we perish?'"

And, of course, he did care and he calmed the storm, saying "Peace, be still." And then He turned to his disciples and said, "What are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?"

"He knew there would be a storm," said Clapp. "He knew how intense it was going to be. He knew the disciples would be fearful and panic. And He knew that he would be able to calm the storm.

"Have confidence that God will take care of us," Clapp told the car-bound congregation. "God's got it!"

But as the storm rages, remember to think of our neighbors, he said.

"I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat – you're my neighbor. We've got to take care of our neighbor. The truths we should remember at this moment: Jesus is far more powerful than a virus. Jesus is with us right now during this troubled time. Jesus will use this troubled time to change our lives. Instead of asking where God is in this troubled time, I need to consider my priorities and ask if I need to change them. I need to consider my neighbor and ask if I really do love others as myself. I need to consider my own mortality and ask if I am ready to meet God."