Pastor Nathan Neff stood on a freshly made wooden podium Sunday morning as members of his congregation at the Apostolic Lighthouse Church gathered for the second time at the Baker County Fairgrounds for an outdoor service.

“With the whole coronavirus and everybody not being able to gather together as much, I wanted to get out and do something,” Neff said.

He said a friend and fellow pastor in North Carolina is doing something similar, and Neff thought, “well, let’s give it a shot and see what happens.’ ”

Churches have closed their doors and many have been mainly offering live-streaming or pre-recorded services to comply with social distancing.

By having services outside at the Fairgrounds, people can maintain a 6-foot distance while listening to the sermon.

“The driving thought of that was there’s so many people that can’t get to church right now with everything that’s going on,” Neff said. “But, in the world in general, church is what we need now more than ever before.”

Some of those who attended Sunday’s service watched from the lawn in front of Cockram Arena, while others sat in their cars.

For those who could not attend, Neff’s sermon was also available on Facebook Live.

“Everybody that is interested and hungry and searching, I wanted to present an opportunity,” Neff said.“It may not be their church but we’re having church and that’s what they’re looking for. Basically, there’s no name over the door, so people are able to just come and have a great time, touching God, being touched by the presence of God, and the word of God.”

The Apostolic Lighthouse Church had its first outdoor service on Easter Sunday. About 20 cars parked, and Neff said people told him they could hear him well despite some technical glitches with the sound system.

“It was awesome,” Neff said. “It felt good, it felt like we were just able to worship God outside.”

Angela Light, who attended the April 19 service, said it was a great experience.

“I love it. I would do this every day if I could,” Light said.

In addition to the outdoor services and online options, the Apostolic Lighthouse Church has maintained its Sunday School and youth group programs.

Neff’s wife, Kristin, is the Sunday School teacher. She has been meeting with students through Zoom, playing games, having their lessons, and interacting as best they could outside the classroom.

“Right now our young people in Baker are desperate for something to do and a way to connect to God and so we felt like that was an important piece for us to be able to focus on helping them,” Nathan Neff said.

The online programs have attracted kids from Halfway and Oxbow, and even some from California.

“It’s open to anybody and any young person that wants to have fun, study the word of God,” Neff said.

Traveling puppet shows

Church members have sought other ways to stay engaged with the community during the pandemic.

Kristin Neff said she, along with Light and other members of the congregation, built a mobile puppet stand.

They’ve driven around town with music playing while she and her son dressed as clowns and Light and others acted as puppeteers.

“The kids were so excited to see us come,” Kristin said.

Nathan Neff grew up in Baker City, attended Bible college in California, and came back to Baker City, serving as assistant pastor for 13 years and as pastor for the past 6fi years.

“I was in the military and wound up going to Iraq, and it was while I was in Iraq that God spoke to me and said you’re going to pastor in Baker,” Neff said.

“It may not be their church but we’re having church and that’s what they’re looking for.”

— Nathan Neff, pastor, Apostolic Lighthouse Church, Baker City