Surf before you worship at this church in Portugal. Their motto: 'We love waves, we love Jesus.'

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https://apnews.com/article/religion-surfing-church-portugal-beaches-waves-430638bf18320dc0068253c9973c42f1

(video, many photos, more, at link)

Surf before you worship at this church in Portugal. Their motto: ‘We love waves, we love Jesus.’

BY LUIS ANDRES HENAO
Updated 12:36 AM EDT, August 29, 2024

PORTO, Portugal (AP) —

[...]

It’s also home to a different kind of church — located on its beachfront suburbs along the Atlantic coast near a fishing town known for some of the world’s largest waves. Parishioners attend in boardshorts, T-shirts, flip flops — even barefoot.

They surf before they worship.

Surf Church was established by a Brazilian-born Portuguese surfer and ordained Baptist pastor to spread the Gospel in a once-devoutly Catholic country — and top surfing destination — where about half of young people today say they have no religion.

In less than a decade, it has grown from a few families to dozens of parishioners representing more than a dozen nationalities from across the world. Their motto: “ We love waves. We love Jesus.”

[...]
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