When people hit the road to live full-time in an RV, they often give up their homes and familiar surroundings in exchange for adventure. Another thing people give up is the supportive faith-based community of which they have been actively involved with for many years.
by Greg Gerber
For some folks, that leaves a big hole in their lives and weekly, if not daily, routines.
I was a full-time RVer from 2014 to 2017 and would like to share some things from a Christian perspective that worked to keep me connected to God and a community of believers. Because I moved locations every three to five days, it meant I usually attended a new church every week. Yet, there were other things I did to continue growing in my faith.
Find a Local Church
One of the benefits of being a Workamper is the ability to spend extended time in one area. That allows people to join a local church.
Finding a church is relatively easy, but a time-consuming process. A quick search on Google maps shows all the churches in the area that belong to the same denomination or which consider themselves to be non-denominational.
From there, it’s a matter of whittling down the options by checking a church’s website to see if its general beliefs align with yours. Many times, you can watch or listen to a service and peruse the ministries or classes offered at the church.
After narrowing down prospects to one or two churches, then simply plan to visit. When I had the opportunity to go to a local church, sometimes I visited several locations. Some churches offered Saturday night services, but many offered two on Sunday mornings.
Attending multiple services on a single weekend, allows you to more quickly find a church that feels like home. Don’t just settle for the closest congregation. Remember, if the church is alive, it’s worth the drive.
Attend a Resort Church
Do you winter in Arizona, Florida or Texas, especially at a large RV park? If so, chances are good there is a church service taking place on that property.
Christian Resort Ministries (crmintl.org) trains chaplains to work at RV resorts and campgrounds to shepherd people of faith spending winters in the three most-popular winter destination states. If there is not a chaplain at your campground, perhaps there is one near your community.
The chaplains lead weekly services and Bible studies as well as provide other types of pastoral care, such as hospital visits, weddings, funerals and faith-based counseling services.
I interviewed former CEO Robert Ruesch for The Workamper Show a few years ago. He described all the things resort chaplains do for residents. You can listen to the episode on the podcast’s website – workampershow.com – or search for The Workamper Show in your favorite podcast app and scroll to episode 125.
Join an Online Church
Many churches, even smaller congregations, today record videos of their services. Sometimes the recordings include the entire service, but most just feature the pastor’s sermon. That means it is possible for you to stay involved in your local church.
It also helps to see familiar faces from time-to-time, and by subscribing to the church’s newsletters and pastor’s messages, you keep abreast of church news and who needs prayer.
Back in 2014, long before churches were forced by COVID to add an online element to their congregations, only the really big churches streamed services or regularly posted videos of sermons.
Personally, I connected to Faith Life Church in New Albany, Ohio, at the recommendation of several other full-time RVers. Not only did the church stream live services, but it maintains an expansive archive of sermon messages people can view as videos or listen to as audio files.
Faith Life recognizes their online community is an integral component of the church body, so they make it easy for people to access prayer and even Sunday School classes from their website.
Today, there are many other churches offering services online. A list of active online churches can be found at www.churchfinder.com/online-churches.
Download an App
There are lots of great apps available today to help people grow in their faith. YouVersion is one of the more popular apps because it allows people to read the Bible for free, and download a plethora of devotionals about any topic.
The free reading plans range from three days to 30 or more. There are some plans to guide people on a tour through the entire Bible over the course of a year. Most plans provide a short devotional as well as specific passages which relate to the theme of the day.
You can set up YouVersion to send you reminders to keep your reading streak alive, and even go through a plan with a friend so you can discuss any insight you gleaned from that day’s message.
Another of my favorite apps is the One Minute Pause by Wild at Heart and author John Eldredge. The app guides people through pauses ranging from one to 17 minutes to engage in what John calls “benevolent detachment” by letting go of the worries and stresses of the day.
The Pause App also has an excellent program called 30 Days to Resilient to help jumpstart a routine to taking frequent pauses throughout the day.
Blogs
Many pastors write regular blogs about faith-based topics. These are wonderful tools for building your faith and better understanding the Bible.
One of my favorites is produced by Canadian pastor Tim Challies, who has produced a daily blog for more than 20 years. Found at www.challies.com, Tim’s messages span a wide range of topics from Bible study to cultural issues. You can also sign up to receive his daily email containing links to his blog and stories he finds interesting.
The website detailed.com lists its top 50 blogs based on the number of mentions online during the preceding day. That means the list changes all the time, but it will connect you with Christian bloggers you can follow on your own, or tap into the resource for a variety of perspectives every day.
Social Media
Chances are strong your home church already has a page on Facebook. However, there are dozens of other Christian groups. Some are devoted to specific Bible studies, but many are just opportunities for people of faith to connect and support one another.
Some groups consist of hundreds of thousands of members, while others may attract only a few thousand people, but niche down to specific things you are interested in doing. Search for groups like Christian hikers, writers, artists, musicians and sportsmen. There are even a few groups dedicated specifically toward Christian RVers.
The benefit of social media is that you can connect to people in the group and one-on-one through their profiles.
Other Resources
Like blogs, podcasts are becoming a favorite way for people to grow in their faith. Some are produced by pastors, while others are created by people of faith who simply want to share their insight with others.
One friend of mine developed the Walking With The Chosen podcast to connect fans of the series to talk about the episodes and characters. Another friend produces the Chapter-A-Day Audio Bible where he simply reads one chapter from the Bible and puts context around the passage to help people better understand it.
Audiobooks are a wonderful way to pass time when driving. There are hundreds of faith-based books available on Audible.
Campers For Christ is an organization seeking to connect people from a wide spectrum of denominations. The group sponsors rallies and special events just for people of faith. Chapters are scattered around the United States and more are being developed every year. Visit www.campers4christ.org.
SOWER (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready) matches people to projects around the country in need of volunteer help. The group works with camps, conference centers, orphanages, schools, missionary retreat centers and training facilities, homes for abused children and recovery homes for adults. Visit sowerministry.org.
There are a number of ministries that encourage people to put specific skills to work helping others on short-term projects. Check out some of these groups:
- Construction Workers Christian Fellowship (www.cwcf.org)
- Traveling Mercies RV Ministry (travelingmerciesrvministry.com)
- Roving Volunteers in Christ’s Service (www.rvics.org)
- ROAM – RVers On a Mission (www.rvsonamission.org)
Perhaps the absolute easiest way for you to connect with other believers on the road is to simply put a sign in your RV or outside your site inviting people of faith to connect with you. Sharing a meal or spending time around the campfire is a wonderful way to exchange stories and build up one another.
Remember the directive from Hebrews 10:24-25, which says, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
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