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CORY SCHOUTENChurches downtown have struggled for years, but special programs to attract younger members are changing that.
DOWNTOWN - Foraging pigeons outnumber cars, traffic lights turn green for no one, and parking spaces are plentiful.
At first glance, downtown seems dead on a Sunday morning.
But at St. Andrew's Episcopal church, an eight-member bell choir greets parishioners with a melodic wake-up call. An early Catholic Mass lets out at Sacred Heart Church, and the block looks busier than a weekday lunch hour. Across the river, hundreds pack First Baptist minutes before a downpour wreaks havoc on an empty street.
God appears to have succeeded where ordinary mortals have failed: drawing people to downtown Tampa on the weekends.
For years, downtown churches have been graying. Now, most of them are growing. Four years ago, First Presbyterian averaged about 100 people every Sunday, the Rev. Fitz Conner said. These days, the church averages about 300.
Sacred Heart Church has gone from 1,100 to 1,400 registered families in the past 18 months, said church business administrator Larry Cabrera. And since the Rev. Gene Brown took the helm of St. Paul AME Church in 2001, he said weekly attendance has jumped from about "seven to 100."
Downtown's residential population has taken root, giving churches a larger base from which to draw. But churches are also filling pews through innovation and specialization - everything from a casual mass that allows coffee and donuts in the sanctuary to a special service aimed at the weekday business lunch crowd.
To survive, churches must find ways to recruit new members and grow. It's no easy task.
"The hardest kind of church to grow is a downtown church," said Jason Waters, a minister to students at First Baptist.
Downtown churches have the tradition. They have the architecture and stained-glass windows. But in most cases, they don't have the neighborhood. Most of their members could find other churches closer to home.
"Especially younger families with children tend to be drawn to the community churches," said Colleen Murray, an administrator at St. Andrew's. "In that respect, it's hard for us to grow in size."
But downtown churches are finding ways. Among them are innovative services, unique music programs, word-of-mouth campaigns, youth groups and a focus on tradition.
At First Presbyterian, a 9:30 a.m. contemporary worship service has been wildly successful. Ushers collect and store pew cushions so members can enjoy coffee, juice and snacks during the service. A casually dressed Conner plays guitar, while members sing lyrics from an overhead screen.
Conner said word of mouth has fed the service over the last few years, but referrals alone can't make a service successful.
"Something has to happen to somebody when they're here or they won't come back," Conner said. "Obviously we hope it's something that's of central spiritual significance for them."
First United Methodist added its casual Praise Cafe service in March, complete with a live band and cappuccino machine. The service, at 6 p.m. Sundays, draws about 45 people who didn't regularly attend the church, said administrative assistant Jody Meguiar.
A few weeks ago a Spanish missionary congregation began using the chapel for a Sunday service.
Finally, First United Methodist has added a casual service that caters to the weekday lunch crowd, Downtown Prayer and Mediation at 12:15 p.m. Thursdays.
But some church members, like Ellene Walker at First Presbyterian, prefer a more formal service.
Walker, who gave her age as "older than anyone you've ever met," said she's glad First Presbyterian's new service is bringing in young people, but said they should remember why they're at church.
"They've got to learn to be respectful," Walker said.
Because Walker is not alone, churches with contemporary services aren't throwing out the tradition with the holy water. Though fewer people attend, First Presbyterian has no plans to cancel the traditional 11 a.m. service.
Tradition, in fact, is a great asset for downtown churches.
Frances Confusione, a Brooklyn, N.Y., resident visiting family in Tampa, said she couldn't help but look "up, down and all around" to admire the architecture during a Mass at Sacred Heart.
"It's gorgeous," said Confusione, who vowed her first visit to Sacred Heart won't be her last.
Traditional music can also be a draw. That's what persuaded Tom and Claire Brantley to join St. Andrew's after "auditioning" churches for seven years. The church is a 45-minute drive each way from their New Tampa home.
Claire Brantley said the music clinched the decision, in part because her husband is a music professor at the University of South Florida. But, she said, "it's also nice to get out of the suburbs."
While the family is downtown, they visit the Tampa Museum, have lunch in nearby Ybor City, or continue on to a Devil Rays game in St. Petersburg.
Another reason more families are willing to commute to church is that youth programs grab the interest of their kids.
"Parents follow their children," said Kathy Boderick, a financial secretary at Greater Bethel Baptist, where a monthly youth-oriented service always draws a crowd.
At Greater Bethel's Youth Sunday, on the second Sunday of every month, teenagers do everything but deliver the sermon.
The service is crowded because young members invite friends and family, who are more likely to attend when their loved ones are involved, said Cheri Wright, 15, a regular participant.
"People whose parents don't come to church come on that Sunday to see their kids and be with their family," Wright said.
On Wednesday nights, First Baptist entices young people with PlayStation and Xbox tournaments, a gym and game room and a cafe offering everything from cappuccino to nachos.
Geared toward junior and senior high school students, Wednesday nights mix game time with prayer time, said Jason Waters, a youth minister. About two new students join the program every week.
At First Church of Christ Scientist, young members can participate in park outings and ski trips planned by a group of parents, said librarian Nancy Jo Hicks.
Other churches are adding youth programs in response to the changing makeup of their membership.
"Our parishioner base has traditionally been older," said Larry Cabrera of Sacred Heart, which has drawn hundreds of new members from developments in the Harbour Island area. "Youth-sponsored programs weren't a necessity. Now, they are."
At St. Andrew's, where attendance has risen slightly, church leaders face a similar problem. The church board is hoping to hire clergy or a lay person to develop programs that would interest families and grow a small youth group, said Colleen Murray, a church administrator.
A few years ago, attracting more young people to a downtown church might have seemed like an uphill battle.
These days, things are looking up.
"We're doing quite well here in downtown Tampa," said First Baptist pastor Jim Knight.
- Cory Schouten can be reached at 813-226-3401 or cschouten@sptimes.com