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Gus the Cat Motivates Vacationers to Stay in Touch
LIVINGSTON, NJ (August 2, 2006) - Most churches experience drops in attendance during the summer due to families traveling, but the attendance decline is most noticeable in small congregations such as Trinity Covenant Church.
 “Some weeks in the summer, the Sunday worship felt quite intimate if a number of families were on vacation at the same time,” says the church’s associate pastor, Susan Gillespie. “Visitors to the worship service in the summer couldn’t sense the character of the congregation, and even regulars wondered where everybody went.”
So last year, the church welcomed a new cat. Gus actually is a stuffed animal, but he has helped members keep track of each other and provides a geography lesson at the same time.
As church members travel, they send postcards to Gus, who needs the mail “to keep him from being lonely.” On Sunday, “Gus’s mail is read with the children and the vacation locations of the missing congregants are noted on a huge map of the United States,” Gillespie says. “Kids get to show off their geographical knowledge and look forward to seeing their vacation spot on the map when it is their turn.”
People on the church’s mailing list who have moved away also have sent postcards, and one child brought in a picture of another stuffed cat for Gus to play with so he wouldn’t be lonely, Gillespie says, adding that “Gus likes to get email, too, so if folks forget to get a postcard, emails suffice.
“Gus the cat has been a fun way to remember one another when we’re out of town,” Gillespie continues. “I’ve appreciated the way the congregation has embraced the idea and made it something to look forward to for everyone.”
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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