Take Your Faith on the Road: Finding your Place

When it comes to worship and spirituality, RVing poses particular challenges. Every person of faith who has used an RV for any length of time, from the full-timer to the weekender, has likely found themselves away from their religious “home” and at a campground during a time when they would normally worship or unite with those who share their faith. It’s easy to feel disconnected from your faith while away from your home base, whether you will be there for a while or are just passing through.

But it is worth it to put just a bit of effort in to finding a church in your temporary area! Becoming even a short-term member of a new faith community can help to solidify your personal identity as your environment changes. Dedicating a bit of time to doing some research and attending a service sets a good example about staying true to your beliefs - even if it is not always convenient - for your children, if they are traveling with you. Worshiping in the place you are visiting can also give you a much broader view of the area, allowing you to hear what troubles or excites the community; it also lets you meet a large cross-section of locals. Taking the time to seek out a church can be the difference between being a tourist in a strange town and becoming a true traveler.

Related Read: How to Support a Local Economy When You Travel

In this post, I’ll share some of my favorite tips on finding a place of worship near your campground that is just right for you.

GUEST GUIDES
Campgrounds with guest guides published by Southeast Publications often choose to include a list of local churches or even detail information about on-site religious services for their campers. These guides are always the best place to start when exploring the nearby area, whether you are looking for churches, restaurants, RV repair, or local attractions. Since most are updated every year, they are very accurate, as well.
To find digital copies of guest guides for parks near you Use the “Find Your Destination” feature on MobileRVing.com.

WORD OF MOUTH
There’s a lot to be said for simply asking! Chat with other campers and the personnel at the campground’s front desk or office. They can share their views on nearby houses of worship and help you find your way to get there. You’ll probably make a new friend, and if they share your faith, you may even choose to attend services together.

Related Read: The Wonderful people One Meets RVing

THE INTERNET
The most obvious way to find a place to worship in a new town is to use the Internet. Searches that combine your religion or denomination with the city and state you’re visiting are generally very effective in returning the information you will need to find your place. Catholics can use the MassTimes.org website or app to see a list of local parishes along with the times of their masses and other services.

If there are a lot of choices and you are feeling ambitious, you can even investigate local charities and see which faith groups support them and give yourself an idea of the type of community with which you’d like to worship. If people of your belief system don’t gather anywhere nearby, you could also choose to search for another group to learn more about the area you are visiting and the people who live there.

I hope this post has helped inspire you to take your faith on the road!