God, dogs, and church attendance

I am not really a church-going dog, but Rev. Tom Eggebeen sounds like my kind of guy. In thinking of ways to revive lagging church attendance, he decided to start a new service called the Canine Covenant. It is a 30 minute service, and he has dog beds and dog treats for the four legged attendants.

What is really special is his philosophy about the role of dogs in people's lives. Most people love their dogs like members of their own family, and losing a dog can cause crippling grief. Eggebeen explains how this fits into the church's teachings: "God is light and God is love. And wherever there's love, there's God in some fashion. And when we love a dog and a dog loves us, that's a part of God and God is a part of that. So we honor that."

Check out the whole article in the Associated Press on this growing trend in churches across the country.