STURGEON BAY, Wis. (SPECTRUM NEWS) - The doors at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church remained closed to parishioners Sunday in the midst of Wisconsin's Safer at Home order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Its parking lot, though, was a different story.

"The idea for a drive-in service really came out of need," Pastor James Gomez told Spectrum News 1. "It was a couple of weeks ago-- March 15th, almost three weeks ago-- that we had our last service in our church sanctuary and when we realized we couldn't meet there anymore or not very easily, I just started thinking and dreaming up new things that could work."

Gomez says the church is doing everything in its power to follow all safety procedures, with churchgoers remaining in their cars as the pastor broadcasts live on 107.9 FM from a makeshift parking lot pulpit.

"The number of people that pull in enjoy just being out," Pastor Gomez said, "but still [abide] by all the rules where they can see one another and wave and realize they're not alone in this at all, and in fact they can come together, just not too close together."

On Palm Sunday alone, 89 cars pulled into the Prince of Peace parking lot.

"It's nice to get out of the house, just to be able to see our friends," parishioner Donna Try told Spectrum News 1 in a recorded message from her car. "[It's]  easy to sit on the couch and listen to the pastor on the radio, but when you can actually come in your car and park, see your friends and wave and see the pastor live, it's really a blessing."

Pastor Gomez said they're planning for three separate parking lot services on Easter Sunday, set to begin at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and he knows members of various churches throughout the community have been attending.

"We have a number of our own members, that's true, but we've had people from other churches-- the Baptists have come out, the Methodists, the Moravians, the United Church of Christ," Pastor Gomez said. "We've had a variety of people from all over-- they watch their own services online, usually, but then they also might add the drive-in church as well because they get to see one another in worship."