Episcopal church thinking outside the box to put more bodies in the pews If there's a stereotype of a clergy person who initiates a Goth service, the Rev. Lou Divis defies it. At nearly 60, Divis, the mother of four and stepmother of four, with her first grandchild on the way, is one of the softest-spoken, sweetest-looking people you could hope to meet. Her "day job" is in early childhood education.
But unlikely or not, Divis has introduced Goth services at St. George's Episcopal Church, where she serves on weekends as a deacon-in-charge in tiny Nanticoke, Pa., population 10,000, where the average age is 43.
Goths—usually people in their teens and 20s—are associated with a world outlook as dark as their eyeliner and a fashion sense that mixes body piercing with black period dress from earlier English eras.
The meaning of their frequently worn crosses and other religious jewelry ranges from satire to a sincere expression of faith.
Divis first learned about Goth services while studying at General Theological Seminary, and further research taught her that such services are not uncommon in England, even at such venerable institutions as Coventry Cathedral and St. Edward King and Martyr, Cambridge.
Divis often drives past a closed car lot in the greater Scranton area. One day she found herself thinking that the church could go out of business as well.
Like automobile manufacturers who are struggling to meet consumers' expectations for more energyefficient vehicles, she thought, "We need to market a 'product,' if you will, that meets people where they are today. Maybe Goth services can provide an alternative energy of some sort."
http://www.simivalleyacorn.com/news/2009/0116/faith/026.html
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