GAS CARDS, CHILI COOK-OFF TOP LIST

By LAURA CONE

Twenty years ago, many parents took their children to church or a synagogue because they felt obligated to carry on a family tradition.
With society’s shift in attitudes and values, New Tampa churches are coming up with creative ways to motivate people to come back to church.
Visitors to Cypress Point Community Church receive free gas cards when they attend a service. Members of St. James United Methodist Church at Tampa Palms recently invited the public to a chili cook-off. St. James also has a number of “lifestyle classes” such as fitness and scrapbooking to appeal to potential members.
The Rev. Dean Reule, pastor of Cypress Point, said the church plans to break ground on a new 29,000-square-foot church Sept. 27 at the corner of Morris Bridge Road and Cross Creek Boulevard in New Tampa. The builder is Andras Construction Services of Dade City.
“It is a huge challenge to motivate people to consider the spiritual things at a deeper level,” he said.
Reule, who said the $2.7 million church will accommodate 600 adults and children, will be finished in time for Easter in April.
Currently the nondenominational church has 450 members and rounds up an average of 300 people each week.
“We are in competition with everything else that competes with people’s attention,” he said. “We are offering people a free gas card if they visit. People feel the pain financially for gasoline now days. We understand and this is a small way we can help. Maybe this helps draw attention to the church.”
Reule said another way he tries to connect with the new generations is by preaching a relevant message.
For the next month he will be conducting a series called, “You Have Got To Be Kidding,” which is all about parenting.
“We have a family feel to the church,” he said. “We have a lot of people with big hearts. We try and present the message in a way that helps hold people’s attention and we blend the serious with lighter stuff.”
He said the church continues to meet Sundays at the Muvico Theater in New Tampa for services at 9 and 10:15 a.m.
“Parents want to raise great kids,” he said. “Many parents wonder if they are doing the best they could. This is just another source of information and support.”
Mindi Yakubek, a leader with the Lifestyle Ministry at St. James, 16202 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., said she did not grow up in the church.
Yakubek, 27, a graphic designer and a member of the church’s marketing team, said she sometimes feels frustrated by how difficult it is to motivate people to become churchgoers.
She invites her friends who aren’t churchgoers to the church-sponsored fitness and scrapbooking classes so they become comfortable with the idea of being involved with a church.
“That’s a chance to witness,” she said. “You pray before the class.”
Yakubek, a New Tampa resident, said the Faithful Fitness exercise classes are Mondays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. The scrapbooking class is Mondays at 6:30 p.m.
“I had a lot of hard times and, in desperation, I came into the church,” Yakubek said. “God is funny how he works. You get into the church, he found me a spot. Some people it takes more to motivate them. We are trying to do more community outreach like the chili cookout.”
She said the church also offers other ministries and classes to attract members such as a prayer shawl ministry during which they make shawls for charity, caring hearts adult day care, before divorce/divorce recovery, marriage enrichment and Nathaniel’s Hope buddy break, which is a respite program for parents of children with special needs.
For more information on Cypress Point, call 973-0314.
For more information on Lifestyle Ministry, call 971-4790, Ext. 223 or 333-5757 or e-mail lifestyleatstjamestampa.org.