With a steady drizzle falling, most owners of classic autos would be forgiven if they decided to keep their “babies” snug and dry in their garages.

But, for the members of the “Sonshine Cruisers,” that would be unforgivable. You see, they have a mission to perform.

For the past five years, members and friends of Faith Fellowship Church in Robertsdale have been meeting once a month to show off their classic cars, have a good time, and maybe, if they are lucky, harvest a few souls. Currently, they meet at 5 p.m. at the Sonic Drive-In on Highway 59 in Robertsdale on the last Saturday of the month.

The drive-in restaurant, complete with roller skating carhops, is a nolstagic setting for the cars. The next “cruise-in” is slated for Aug. 30. Rain or shine. And the event is catching on.

“When we started, we went to the dollar store for prizes,” recalled the Rev. Dave Kelso, pastor of the church. “Today, prizes come from Middleton Auto Parts, Advance Auto Parts in Robertsdale, O’Reilly Auto Parts in Robertsdale, AutoZone in Robertsdale, and Hub City Towing in Robertsdale. Tonight, we’re giving away $300.”

The idea has caught on. In June, the event logged 65 vehicles.

For Mike Nichols of Summerdale, the event isn’t so much a religious happening as a great way to show off his 1955 Ford Customline. At least to the casual observer, the car is “cherry.”

“It took me 51 years to get the money to buy this car,” Nichols said, adding that this was the third time he’d driven the vehicle.

“I just came here to cruise,” Nichols said.

That’s just fine with Kelso.

“I had prayed to God to give me a way to reach more people,” said Kelso.

Kelso says he always “liked cars,” and now owns a couple of classics himself.

That’s where the idea came from.

But, there was a problem.

“I got married young, and we were raising a family. I didn’t have a classic (car) myself,” Kelso said, adding that he’s been a pastor for 39 years, and once played for the rock group, “Soul Salvation.”

Still, he forged ahead. And it seems that car enthusiasts were ready to answer the call. In fact, the church also sponsors a car show every year. The 2008 edition is scheduled for Oct. 18.

“We get 100-125 vehicles,” said Kelso. ”Our largest trophy is 7-and-a-half feet tall.”

The show also attracts, well, a different sort of member.

“I think we’re the only church in the world that has a burnout pit,” said Kelso, with a touch of pride. He explained that the area is a concrete pad that allows a vehicle’s operator to create “a lot of heat and smoke” with the vehicle’s tires.

The show, while not specifically a religious event, is a good way to meet people who are “unchurched.”

“We encourage people to go to church,” said Kelso, “and if they have a church, that’s fine. But if they don’t have a church, we encourage them to visit us. We don’t put on any pressure. We just ask them to consider us.”

That’s just fine with Brett Seals, Hallie Trimble, her husband Lester and the Trimble’s dog, a young Pit Bull named “Gunner.” All are from Foley.

“I’ve been coming here for six years,” said Seals. “Time goes by so fast.”

Well, maybe not as fast as his car. Seals brought a 1973 Corvette Stingray with him that looked like it deserved a speeding ticket standing still.

Hallie Trimble brought her 1930 Ford five-window coupe to the show, and Lester brought his 1933 Willys truck. Gunner took turns “guarding” both vehicles by jumping into the driver’s seats, challenging all comers to hop in and get licked to death.

“At one time, we had 11 (classic cars),” said Hallie Trimble. “Now we are down to two.”

The car events, Seals says, “is a good way to reach people who might not be reached.”

In fact, Seals started attending Faith Fellowship because of an interest in classic cars.

“I met the pastor and his wife,” said Seals. “We started talking about cars, and went to a car show together. I went to visit the church, and have been going ever since.”

Usually, Seals said, he and Kelso attend car shows, hand out tracts and “testify” to the crowd.

The Trimbles tell a similar story.

“We were at another car show,” said Hallie, “and we met the preacher. He told us about the one at Sonic, and said he’d love to have us.” He and everybody made us feel real welcome.”

The couple went to cars shows for about a year and a half before attending church.

“I said we’re going to surprise him,” said Lester.