Empty tank, empty pews?

If it's true that the Utah economy trails national trends by a few months or even a year, churchgoers in the Beehive State may yet see an innovation that's gained popularity back East: free gas if you show up in the pews on Sunday.

While several church officials here say they haven't seen any direct impact of gas prices in terms of shrinking attendance or fewer dollars in the collection plate, clergy in some other states are using fuel as an incentive for potential worshippers.

Maranatha Church in Mont Belvieu, Texas, and St. Ann's Church in West Bridgewater, Mass., are two of the most recent congregations to adopt new ways to provide fuel for the soul (and the tank).

A story published earlier this month in The Baytown Sun described how Maranatha Church leaders made the offer to everyone in the community, including non-church participants: show up before any of the church's 10:45 a.m. Sunday services through July and August for a free raffle ticket. Entrants must be at least 16 years old, and the tickets will be submitted in a drawing to win free gas.

"The July drawing will be for two $500 gas cards, while the four August dates will give one $250 gas card per drawing. Entrants must be present to win," the story said, though the pastor said his goal was helping the community at large, rather than boosting attendance.

Church leaders in Massachusetts adopted a similar program, offering a drawing twice a month at the end of each weekend Mass for a $50 gas card. The pastor of St. Ann's, the Rev. Edward McDonagh, told GateHouse News Service his idea was based "on a Providence bishop providing public transportation coupons to assist parishioners in attending Mass.

"For most of us, church is a short drive, and that's where most of our gas goes, on short drives," the Rev. McDonagh said. "This is a way of showing our concern for one another in this economy, because we're all in the same boat."

In Chesapeake, Va., Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr. of Exodus Faith Ministries said he saw a drop-off in attendance earlier this year, so he started giving out gas cards to attendees who had trouble making their way to church because of high gas prices. The bishop told "Good Morning America" he decided to do it because "people are hurting."

The moves come after similar offers by churches months ago in South Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee and Arizona, before gas topped $4 per gallon.

While a report out earlier this week showed Utah gas prices are among the highest in the country, several area church leaders told the Deseret News they haven't seen any direct impact on their congregations — at least not yet.