Drive-Through Prayer Service

Jet, Sept 3, 2001

DRIVE THROUGH PRAYER SERVICE: The Rev. Clarence C. Sykes, pastor of Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Suffolk, VA, waits at his prayer service drive-through window that offers prayers, advice, help, Bibles and information flyers. The year-old nondenominational church once held services from a Holiday Inn, but when a vacant NationsBank building became available, it relocated in September.

Because the church rents the building, the bank's fixtures couldn't be removed. They could be modified, however, and the drive-through prayer was born. "We realized when the building was used as a bank, people made deposits. Now it's being used as a church, and we're able to make a spiritual deposit into people," said Sykes.