The Drive-In Church and "Sunday School Adventures" of Rev. Norman L. Hammer

 

Press photo of drive-in service by Rev. Norman L. Hammer in Summer of 1949. From the Key West citizen, July 12, 1949. See full page and article at Chronicling America.

In the age of COVID-19, the need for drive-in church services has strongly re-emerged. Drive-in church services go back several decades, and I was elated to learn that a pioneer of these services was also a producer of children's Bible television programs. I am hoping that his story will continue to inspire church leaders and worshipers today.

The Reverend Norman L. Hammer (1912 - 1980) was an innovative evangelist and media producer. He was also the first pastor documented to have conducted a drive-in worship service on church grounds. 

As pastor of the Emanuel Lutheran Church of North Hollywood, California, Hammer received inspiration as he passed a drive-in theater. He also had the thought that people who usually wouldn't come to church in a beach community would come if they could wear their regular clothes. His first service on Sunday, July 10, 1949 reportedly had 54 parked cars with 160 worshipers. His sermon was called "Judgement Just". This service received national attention when photos were published in newspapers the following day, and in the August 1, 1949 issue of Newsweek. Rev. Hammer's pulpit was a patio at the back on his church as he conducted services for road travelers, some in their cars, and others on folded chairs. A "success", Rev. Hammer later said that more people attended the car services than his regular 11:00 am indoor worship service. 

In 1953, the Evangelical Lutheran Synod called Hammer to be its representative for television evangelism. Resigning from the pastorate, he began a study on television and its effectiveness for evangelism. He produced a TV show for children called "Through the Porthole" that began appearing on television schedules in 1956. Seen in at least 13 TV markets in the American mid-west, the exact contents of this series are unknown. 

By the end of the decade, Rev. Hammer relocated to Hawaii for an evangelism ministry to tourists and was the founder and pastor of the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Waikiki. In Hawaii he produced "Sunday School Adventures" a children's game-show for a local television station. On the show he played a character named "Captain Norm" while sharing masters of ceremony duties with Rev. Lester W. Hoffman pastor of the Gloria Dei Church in Pearl City. "Through the Porthole" programs were shown during the program along with segments of "Light Time" another Lutheran children's series. "Sunday School Adventures" ran from October to December 1960.

Rev. Hammer continued to do ministry on television and was the host of a late night/early morning program. His ministry in this world came to and end in a tragic three vehicle accident in 1980. Rev. Hammer was 66 years old. 

More information is wanted about the life and media ministries of Rev. Norman L. Hammer. If you have this information, memories, and copies of his programs "Through the Porthole" or "Sunday School Adventures", please leave a comment.

References:

'California Pastor Finds "Drive-In" Church Success', [Washington, D.C.,] Evening Star, July 11, 1949, Page A-2 - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1949-07-11/ed-1/seq-2/

"Drive-In Worship" Newsweek, August 1, 1949, pg. 62. [Must have an Internet Archive account to view this page, https://archive.org/details/newsweek34julnewy/page/n387/mode/1up?q=hammer]

"Drive-In is Thrivin'" Modern Mechanix, August 1951 - http://blog.modernmechanix.com/the-drive-in-is-thrivin/

 

Find A Grave Memorial: "Norman L. Hammer". https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37638578/norman-l-hammer 

Minister to Become Television Evangelist, Daily Colonist [Victoria, B.C.]. July 4, 1953. - https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist0753uvic_1/page/n5/mode/1up?q=hammer

"Pastor Produces Bible Quiz Show". Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, Hawaii). Wed, Nov 30, 1960, Page 30

Wirephoto. Key West Citizen, July 12, 1949, Page 4 - https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83016244/1949-07-12/ed-1/seq-4

Shuttershock, Drive-In Worship, stock image July 10, 1949 [same as above], - https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/drivein-church-los-angeles-usa-6659841a