The Rev. James Flowers is no fan of summer. He hates the humid heat. He hates the insects. But above all, Father Flowers hates the low church attendance. "I remind my people that God doesn't take the summer off, so neither should we," he said.
They have heard it before.
Last year Father Flowers, rector of St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Alexandria, La., put his pet peeves of summer into a sermon, weighing in on perspiration and mosquitoes, roaches and fleas and empty pews.
But as on most summer Sundays, attendance was off by about a third, compared with the rest of the year. Father Flowers's church, with nearly 300 seats, has about 225 parishioners. He appreciates having about 150 at winter services, but in summer, he said, "It's disheartening, like you're giving a party and almost nobody comes."
Father Flowers is hardly alone. At many places of worship around the nation, attendance drops as the heat increases. Many churchgoers depart for religious programs like mission trips. But others swap services for summer fun or road trips, and some families with children may equate vacation from school with vacation from church. Still, many clergy members are finding ways to keep people within the fold.
"We've tried beefing things up," said Father Flowers, who has been expanding summer programs, including choir, Sunday school and weekly Bible studies. "If you build it, they will come."
At Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, the Rev. Dr. Robert Hansel, interim rector, discovered that reducing three Sunday morning services to two for summer was efficient, and a morale-booster.
"You spread the people over just two gathering times," Father Hansel said, "the pews look reasonably filled and people don't have the depressing sense they are part of some sinking ship."
Father Hansel says he hopes to draw churchgoers through a new Sunday evening service featuring musicians playing Memphis blues, a significant departure from the customary service.
He said, "In summer people are more open to, `Let's do something a little more laid-back.' "
Last summer the First Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., took its services outdoors while the ceiling was being repaired. Members liked it so much that on selected summer Sundays they continue to worship outdoors.
"The empty pews are part of the reason that moved us outside," said the Rev. Morris Greidanus, the pastor. "It's no longer a do-nothing month or two."
Mr. Greidanus added: "It's a bit of extra work to get the chairs out, but in the inner city you can see the sky and hear the birds, ambulances and fire trucks. It puts you out there, a little more in touch with life. This keeps us more open to our neighborhood."
Summer can offer a breather for clergy members.
"Without the hectic pace, people are more relaxed, more open to reflecting," said Rabbi Aaron Rosenberg of Temple Emanu-El, a Reform congregation in Waterford, Conn. "The prayer book words that speak to serenity of the Sabbath tend to resonate more."
At his synagogue, as at many others, summer means fewer bar mitzvahs, and congregants often officiate at summer services, delivering sermons even when the rabbi is present.
"It's empowering for congregants," Rabbi Rosenberg said. "It enables them to develop skills in conducting worship that they'd normally expect of a rabbi."
When the Rev. Billy Hamm, pastor of Mountain States Baptist Church in Denver, plans summer vacation, he schedules a substitute speaker and then keeps it quiet.
"I don't want people to think, the pastor will be gone, why should I go to church?" said Mr. Hamm, who has heard variations of the phrase "summer slump" throughout his 33-year career. "I don't make a public announcement in a service, `There's no need for you guys to come next week because I'll be in Hawaii.' "
But he emphasizes summer activities like vacation Bible school, camps and picnics. "You have to announce these special programs far enough in advance so that people don't plan to take their weekend in the mountains or at the lake on their boat," he said. "You want to make an appeal to them to be here as often as possible."
The small Desert Synagogue in Palm Springs, Calif., fights the hot-weather slump by no longer shutting down for summer. About 22 people attend summer Sabbath services at the Orthodox synagogue, down 40 percent from the winter.
"I didn't feel it was appropriate to be closed," said Mark Gershenson, president of the synagogue, open for the third consecutive summer. "Jewish law doesn't say you only go to synagogue between September and June."
But many places of worship in summer resort towns need only open their doors to receive crowds. Even at the small Conservative Synagogue of the Hamptons in Sag Harbor, N.Y., Friday night services, which are moved outside to the bay, attract about 60 worshipers, triple the winter attendance.
"The beauty of the sunset setting enhances the beauty of the prayers," said Jan Uhrbach, a rabbinical student who serves as the synagogue's religious leader.
At St. Francis Xavier Church in Hyannis, Mass., which has been a place of worship for Kennedy family members, summer attendance at Mass triples to about 6,000 over 10 services. The surge brings traffic jams in the church parking lot and double the number of confessions.
"Visitors feel free to confess things they'd be embarrassed to tell their priest back home," said the Rev. Thomas Frechette, the pastor. "They say, 'You won't see me after summer.' "