This Sunday is the second Sunday of Advent for churches across the world. In Dallas, it’s also the Sunday of the annual Dallas Marathon.
So in our neighborhood, much of which is inside the marathon “loop,” churches tend to keep the second Sunday of Advent simple.
“We don’t plan a big music event to coincide on that day because half the choir’s out,” says the Rev. Marti Soper of Greenland Hills United Methodist Church.
Greenland Hills is tucked inside the Lower Greenville neighborhood on Penrose, just south of where the marathon crosses on Ellsworth. Anyone who lives in our neighborhood knows that if you’re inside the loop, it’s almost impossible to get out during the marathon. The same is true for anyone trying to get in, and that’s tough for churches during a season as sacred as Advent, Soper says.
“It’s an important time of the year for us to be together as a church. On the other hand, we want to celebrate with the community and be a part of that,” she says. “It’s certainly better this year because there’s been a little more thought given to those inside the loop”
Soper is referring to this year’s course revisions. The DMN had a story in Sunday’s paper that talked about course designer Lear Johnson and his challenge to create a course “with an eye toward balancing the runners’ expectations for a memorable experience along with minimal disruption to neighborhoods, businesses and churches.”
Some neighborhood churches decided to work around the marathon this year. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Cathedral on Ross will hold its regular Sunday morning services, but added a 4 p.m. Advent Lessons and Carols service.
“People can’t get to church,” says the cathedral’s Dean Neal Michell. So the special Advent service, which has been held in years past at a different time, was moved to the late afternoon for parishioners who want to come to church but “don’t want to face the barricade,” he says. Michell will also pore over the marathon course today and then send congregants a map highlighting the avenues they should take if they want to brave traffic.
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Abrams also provides maps, and three weeks out, it begins warning parishioners of the marathon in the church bulletin.
“We’ll hear about it later from people who don’t read it,” says facilities director James Taylor.
St. Thomas will hold all of its regular masses this weekend, but this year is adding a second Saturday night vigil mass at 6 p.m. for people wanting to avoid the marathon. Taylor guesses the church will see more people on Saturday night and even fewer this year on Sunday morning.
At least one church is canceling Sunday morning services altogether. Munger Place Church is holding a 5:30-6:30 p.m. Saturday Advent worship service instead. Last year the church met on Sunday morning, and it was difficult, “even though we had people really excited about staying and cheering on the runners,” says administrative assistant Claudia Kuby.
“A lot of people like to park in our parking lot to watch, so we’re going to let them do that” this year, Kuby says.
For the Advent service, the church will pass out bulletins inside Luke’s Locker water bottles — a nod of support to the runners who pass by the following morning.
