{"id":7220,"date":"2006-08-02T23:17:38","date_gmt":"2006-08-03T04:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=7220"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:34:06","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:34:06","slug":"5066","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2006\/08\/02\/5066\/","title":{"rendered":"Gus the Cat Motivates Vacationers to Stay in Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

\"Gus\u201cSome weeks in the summer, the Sunday worship felt quite intimate if a number of families were on vacation at the same time,\u201d says the church\u2019s associate pastor, Susan Gillespie. \u201cVisitors to the worship service in the summer couldn\u2019t sense the character of the congregation, and even regulars wondered where everybody went.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

As church members travel, they send postcards to Gus, who needs the mail \u201cto keep him from being lonely.\u201d On Sunday, \u201cGus\u2019s mail is read with the children and the vacation locations of the missing congregants are noted on a huge map of the United States,\u201d Gillespie says. \u201cKids get to show off their geographical knowledge and look forward to seeing their vacation spot on the map when it is their turn.\u201d<\/p>\n

People on the church\u2019s 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\u2019t be lonely, Gillespie says, adding that \u201cGus likes to get email, too, so if folks forget to get a postcard, emails suffice.<\/p>\n

\u201cGus the cat has been a fun way to remember one another when we\u2019re out of town,\u201d Gillespie continues. \u201cI\u2019ve appreciated the way the congregation has embraced the idea and made it something to look forward to for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
Copyright \u00a9 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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. 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