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View Full Version : Why no church besides Sunday mornings?



Idaho45guy
12-21-2018, 02:41 AM
I grew up in this area and was never really aware of how limited it was in church services until I joined the military, moved away, and lived in other areas of the country.

After my wife left me, I moved back here to rebuild my life and my faith about five years ago. It has been a challenge with my profession.

I work in corporate security and work a 12hr shift either starting at 0600 on Sunday and ending at 0600 on Wednesday, or my current schedule which starts at 6pm on Wednesday and ends at 0600 on Sunday.

Churches around here only offer Sunday morning services. And there aren't many decent churches in the first place. The one I currently like to attend is an Evangelical Free church. They have one service on Sunday mornings at 10:10. It's a decent-sized church with around 500 members.

My last church in Arizona was around 900 members and had two services on Sunday morning, a Sunday evening service, and a Wednesday night service. The three different churches I attended while living in Arizona and the others in Iowa all had the same service choices with membership from 100 folks to over 2000.

I don't understand the complete lack of service options around here.

The nearest town to me has more pot shops than large churches...

I tried going to a home group type Bible study the Evangelical Free church sponsored, but most groups are Wednesday/Thursday. I finally found one that worked with my old schedule and attended it for a few months, but the members were either young married couples or single college girls. I'm a 50yr old divorced guy and grandpa...

Plus, the group was highly educated and really into deep theological discussions. I felt out of place on all levels.

But at least it was fellowship.

Now I have none. I even joined an online Christian forum but that was a huge blow to my faith due to the large number of "liberal Christians" on there who saw no problem with supporting a political ideology and party that promoted homosexuality, abortion, and Islam. I couldn't wrap my head around how someone who professed to follow Christ could embrace such evil. So I turned away from fellowship.

Last week I visited my sister for a week in Southern Idaho and was able to attend church with her on Sunday morning. It was awesome! I didn't realize how much I was craving fellowship until I got a taste of it.

Now I'm just really frustrated and saddened by the lack of ability to fellowship or attend church around here. I grew up here and love the area, but the lack of good jobs, single women over 40, high housing costs, and limited church opportunities has me considering moving.

I just think it's weird that not one single church that I've been to out here has mid-week services.

Is it like that in your area?

crankycalico
12-21-2018, 04:37 AM
Well the explanation is somewhat simple. Big church in big area has lots of people coming. They also have more people who can rotate to stand in front and man the pulpit.
As a result, when you get to areas where there is only 1 or 2 people who man the pulpit, and they both want to watch college and professional sports.... suddenly you only get sunday morning church.

Fellowship is important but in some cases the fellowship is worse then sitting home with the dog.

Thundarstick
12-21-2018, 06:49 AM
Living on the buckle of the bible belt is hard for me to imagine your predicament. Here, not only do most assemblies have three services a week, you even get to pick your flavor of church! Have you thought about starting a study group in your home? As far as women go, if that's your goal, if your going fishing, you'll generally do much better at the lake than a puddle. :wink:

jmort
12-21-2018, 08:30 AM
Catholic churches have Mass every single day.

Ickisrulz
12-21-2018, 08:51 AM
The typical offerings are services on Sunday in the morning and evening, a service on Wednesday night, Bible studies during the week, youth group meetings, men's group meetings and ladies group meetings.

My guess is that the churches in your area have found that attendance is poor during Sunday and Wednesday evening services (etc.) and discontinued them. It can be hard for younger families to attend every service offered.

Der Gebirgsjager
12-21-2018, 11:14 AM
Not all churches meet on Sunday.

frkelly74
12-21-2018, 11:30 AM
Our particular church offers a Wednesday evening service and it is usually poorly attended. The exception would be during advent where it is attended by more people. In our congregational meetings it is always voted on as to whether to have these mid week services and also which night to have them on and we always seem to vote to have them specifically for those with unavoidable Sunday morning conflicts, but then very few show up. The pastor, bless his heart , is there even if no one shows up.

Idaho45guy
12-21-2018, 07:24 PM
Not all churches meet on Sunday.


You're right; I suppose I could join a cult...

kens
12-21-2018, 07:29 PM
Catholic churches have Mass every single day.

Yes, We have a Saturday mass, 2 on Sunday, and a morning mass Monday thru Friday.
Then, if you look around at different catholic churches, you can find varying mass times for any given day.

Wayne Smith
12-25-2018, 06:41 PM
Go to the pastor of the EV Free Church and explain your situation. Ask if he has any suggestions. A men's group that would meet your schedule and maybe four or so other guys that have the same problem and would meet with the pastor might be a start. Check with other guys at your work who work similar shifts - any interest in such a group? Frequently when we feel such a need God is inviting us to start something.

HangFireW8
12-25-2018, 07:45 PM
Bible, Baptist, and some other churches have Wednesday evening services.

I know its easier said than done, but you could look into another line of work.

wmitty
12-28-2018, 03:23 AM
Come to Texas; Sunday morning; night; Wednesday evening meal and service afterwards! We would love to have you with us!

Char-Gar
12-30-2018, 05:51 PM
Mid-week services in small churches in small towns have about gone the way of the Doo-Doo bird. One the other hand my Son by marriage and his family attend Saturday night services at a mega church in the Dallas area. They have other services at other times of the week as well.

Things charge, and the change is not always to our liking. I would suspect there is a week night home bible study in your town if you could ferret it out.

Shiloh
12-31-2018, 09:43 PM
I have a mens bible study on Wed. evenings.

Shiloh

Traffer
12-31-2018, 10:47 PM
Why not ask God to give you a Church where He would like you to go? He can do anything. And they more you rely upon him the more he provides...funny thing.
There was a period in my life where I enjoyed a morning prayer and study of roughly 3 hours per day. I got accustomed to being with God and it was awesome. I had just got my first job after being laid up for quite a while. I worked there for about 3 months and was happy. My workday started at 9 AM. One day I went in and the boss said that since they now had two people at my position he had split the work day so that it was covered from 7AM to 8Pm or something like that. The other guy needed to take the later shift so I had to be in at 7AM from then on. The next morning in prayer I posed my dilema to God. I stated it like this, "God I am not going to give up my wonderful morning prayer time for some stupid job. I don't know what I am going to do about it but, I would rather live in a cardboard box in a ditch than give up my time with you."
I went in that day and the boss said (not knowing that I wanted the later shift), "the other guy now has to take the morning shift, Could you do the 10AM to 6PM shift?" You see the day I placed the problem to God with resolve. He changed the course of history for me. I share that to encourage your faith.

Tom W.
01-05-2019, 10:33 PM
Lori and I just got back from Services. Our church has them two or three times on Saturday and Sunday, and on the internet that a lot of people all over the world watch. There's even a service or two on the television.
I, being an old timey Baptist song leader and Choir director, can't enjoy the music service no matter how hard I try....But the message is always good.

Idaho45guy
01-15-2019, 02:39 AM
Why not ask God to give you a Church where He would like you to go? He can do anything. And they more you rely upon him the more he provides...funny thing.
There was a period in my life where I enjoyed a morning prayer and study of roughly 3 hours per day. I got accustomed to being with God and it was awesome. I had just got my first job after being laid up for quite a while. I worked there for about 3 months and was happy. My workday started at 9 AM. One day I went in and the boss said that since they now had two people at my position he had split the work day so that it was covered from 7AM to 8Pm or something like that. The other guy needed to take the later shift so I had to be in at 7AM from then on. The next morning in prayer I posed my dilema to God. I stated it like this, "God I am not going to give up my wonderful morning prayer time for some stupid job. I don't know what I am going to do about it but, I would rather live in a cardboard box in a ditch than give up my time with you."
I went in that day and the boss said (not knowing that I wanted the later shift), "the other guy now has to take the morning shift, Could you do the 10AM to 6PM shift?" You see the day I placed the problem to God with resolve. He changed the course of history for me. I share that to encourage your faith.

Great story! Thank you!

Idaho45guy
01-15-2019, 02:41 AM
I started dating a wonderful woman about a month ago and just had dinner with her and her parents, who are very devout Christians.

I told them about my frustration with not being able to attend church. They told me they go to a wonderful little country church, but it also has only one service Sunday mornings. They said they've never seen a church around these parts do anything more than Sunday services... Oh, well...

1hole
02-26-2019, 11:03 AM
Why so few church meeting? TV. And scattered families. Nothing diabolical, just changes in American society and life styles.

Before WWII we were mostly rural and families tended to live with friends as they grew up. Life revolved around the family/friends network and the only entertainment options were radio and movies (sometimes in COLOR!) Churches were the primary anchors of social life. Then came the war.

The impact of WWII resulted in massive manpower relocations and scatterings of the military and industrial expansion. The old ways didn't suddenly disappear but the old close nit social construction has crumbled and we have few attachments to the people or associations around us. The few of us who miss the old ways are dying and there are fewer of us each year ... so churches close or have fewer services.

It isn't the ministers or church officers who scale church activities back, they have to live with the options available to them. I know of a few mega churches who are crowded Sunday morning but have no evening or Wednesday services because virtually no one attends.

As Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

sureYnot
02-26-2019, 12:59 PM
I'm lucky in that my church offers a Saturday night service. I've worked every weekend for years.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

Sig556r
02-26-2019, 01:17 PM
Yes, We have a Saturday mass, 2 on Sunday, and a morning mass Monday thru Friday.
Then, if you look around at different catholic churches, you can find varying mass times for any given day.
When my youngest unruly tot was old enough to cause ruckus at church, we started going to church Saturday evenings (vigil mass which is the same as Sundays) to avoid the crowd & not to be confined in a Sunday cry-room. He's 10 now & we still hear Saturday masses, just works out with my yardwork (pronounced casting/reloading) Sundays.

EDG
02-26-2019, 03:18 PM
My description of Weatherford, Texas in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

On every street corner was either a church or a gas station and the gas stations were close on Sundays.
The town was so lacking industry that you could starve to death but there was always some church that was open for business.