DUNEDIN, Fla. — Attendance is on the decline for most religious organizations in the United States, with numbers for young adults seeing the biggest dip over the past two decades. But one Bay area church is working to bring that age group and others back into the fold with a modern spin on fellowship.

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Dunedin offers a program called “Tap into Fellowship,” which meets monthly at downtown’s House of Beer.

“If you can meet up with friends from work here, why not meet up with friends from church?” said Father Zach Brasseur.

This month’s meeting had a large gathering, a good sign considering the most recent numbers from Gallup show fewer adults are regularly attending religious services, at 30% today compared to 40% two decades ago.

Dr. Randall Woodard, a professor of theology at St. Leo University, points to cultural changes as a big factor.

“A hundred years ago, and not every case, but you were more likely to be a black sheep and kind of cut out from your family if you left,” Woodard said.

Now, he points out, it’s more acceptable, as parents are parenting differently and places of worship may not be the social hubs they used to be, making faith based outreach that much more important.

“When people are loved and appreciated and welcomed, that ends up being just one of the greatest things that churches and other groups can do for people and especially young adults,” Woodard said.

At “Tap into Fellowship,” Father Brasseur said the group takes that concept a step further.

“I think even more important than welcoming is belonging,” Father Brasseur said. “When someone says, ‘These are the people I play kickball with,’ ‘These are the people I go to House of Beer with, that I go to the coffee shop with’ — these are my people.”

Bringing faith outside the walls of church for conversations that, in turn, bring people back in.

“Tap into Fellowship” is held by Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners on the first Monday of every month.