Every Wednesday morning, dozens of rush-hour commuters along the Military Avenue thoroughfare stop at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church parking lot in Fremont for a free cup of coffee and a drive-through prayer.

When Rev. Tim Anderson arrived as Good Shepherd’s new associate pastor last year, he vowed to better connect the church and community. Pastor Anderson recalled hearing about a Seattle church the ministered to flocks of motorists. He thought the idea would work at Good Shepherd’s busy Military and Lincoln Avenues intersection, where traffic has increased with the opening of Fremont’s new middle school.

When school started, Pastor Anderson, senior pastor Rev. Tim Gierke, and a few Good Shepherd volunteers set up a coffee stand during the morning rush hour. They didn’t know if even two people would stop. But, the Christian coffee klatch has attracted a weekly average of 25 to 35 drivers each Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. About half have no affiliation with the church, Rev. Anderson said.

As frost covered the ground, one lady pulled in for a cup of coffee and a prayer for a safe trip to visit her son, a seminarian in St. Louis. Some pray for personal needs, and others seek world guidance.

“We don’t want to hit people over the head with our message,” volunteer Bill Wehrmann said. “But we’re at a time when Christians need to join forces against the evil in the world.”

Motorists who stop are offered a free cup of coffee and time to pray with one of the pastors, either from their car or in the church sanctuary. This ministry generally follows the school schedule, beginning in the early fall and going until Christmas, then resuming again in March until school is out for the summer.