Published: July 16, 2008 11:36 am      

Gasoline gospel

They call it Motorhead Sunday. Church and classic cars, the gospel is spreading.

The Del City 1st Church of the Nazarene, along with the National Street Rod Association (NSRA), held its second annual classic car show. And why not, the pastor drives a 1929 Model A convertible.

For the church, the show was more than just a good time. The event was viewed as a way to increase community involvement and possibly introduce newcomers to the church.

“People will come see the cars who won’t go into a church,” Les Shivley said, a member of the congregation. “If they start going to church, maybe they’ll come here.”

On display was an array of classic cars from another generation, maintained in mint condition. There were street rods, old Chevy trucks, a 1953 Willis, a 1929 replica of a Marz-Gazelle, the pastor’s Model A and others.

Vera Radley, the pastor, said she’s had an interest in antique autos for a long time, and the Model A used to belong to her uncle, before she became the caretaker. She doesn’t mind showing it off, but pride does come before the fall, so she spun it into an opportunity to impact the community. That’s where the NSRA comes into play.

The NSRA sets up car shows like this all across the country, according to Jim Rowlett, the association’s chaplain. Also with the Street Rod Association was a musical group called Praise Inc. This group often works closely with the NSRA and, at times, provides music whenever a street rod event is held at a church. Praise Inc. provided the music for Del City 1st Church of the Nazarene on the day of the car show.

To Rowlett, he sees the Motorhead Sunday as a great way to provide a church with more interaction with its community while increasing its publicity. And Rowlett doesn’t mind it either because he gets to travel the country.

Pastor Radley said she was pleased with the event and thankful for all those that came, both the auto owners and the visitors. While some people have no interest in attending church, Radley hoped an event such as this would provide some kind of bridge and introduce them to the church.

The Del City 1st Church of the Nazarene, encouraged by the success of this year’s event and last year’s, plans to continue with the auto show in the future. The church is located at 4701 SE 26 in Del City.