Evaqngelical Churches will close on Christmas...

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The more I think about it… the more suprised I am that the mega-Churches are closing on Chirstmas. Haven’t they heard, “The show must go on?”

😉
 
carol marie:
According to the Chicago Tribune, many Evangelical mega-churches are not planning to hold services on Christmas this year, despite that the holiday falls on a Sunday. According to the article, they want people to have a “personal” experience on that day - rather than filling the pews (and what… worshiping Jesus?) The article goes on to say that many Catholic Churches have added services to accomodate those who wish to worship on Christmas. So I’d like to invite all my Evangelical brothers & sisters who find themselves without a Church on Chirstmas… your local Catholic Church welcomes you to celebrate the birth of our Savior. It’s what we believe Christmas is all about.

chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0512060228dec06,1,6644133.story?coll=chi-news-hed
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I think that this is incredibly sad . . . but I’m not terribly surprised. Many of these “mega-churches”, esp. those not affiliated with anyone other than themselves, seem to be offereing what C. S. Lewis called “Christianity and Water” – a watered-down, feel-good religion that doesn’t seem to mean all that much.

Blessings,
 
The issue this year is not that they are ignoring Christmas but that they are ignoring SUNDAY. I love the vigil Mass as much as the next guy but I only want no Sunday Mass if we had too few priests to cover an area. But to say they need 500 volunteers is the same dumb logic that we have been subjected to when a Holy Day of Obligation falls on Saturday or Monday. If it is a Holy Day you make time for it period!

Likewise, it is nice that they will have Christmas Eve services but it is weak to not have a Sunday service because it is Christmas day and people are busy. Maybe Jesus and Mary did lunch every Friday as a time to spend together. I am glad he made time that fateful Friday and was not too busy. I don’t want to smack them too hard but they need to offer a service every Sunday unless they have a better excuse than the one offered.

The megachurches in Omaha I called yesterday will have services both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
 
I find this truly sad…you can spend time together as a family celebrating Jesus’ birthday at the church can’t you? I love the fact that my nieces and nephews (the 3 older ones anyway) are old enough to have me take them to see the Nativity scene in front of the altar after Mass is over. My family usually goes to Vigil Mass anyway…

I can understand that because Christmas is on a Sunday they might find confusion with people and services being available…but what if someone works at a Hospital on Christmas Eve and actually wants to go to Christmas service and their church doesn’t even have it offered?
 
This is just incredible…there’s 168 hours in a week, and they can’t even give Jesus one hour? And it’s His birthday, to boot.

I’m really looking forward to Mass on Christmas. Last year at my parish, it was standing room only.
 
As a protestant (Baptist), I never went to church on Christmas Day. We didn’t have church on Christmas Day. It’s neat that we do, though… I mean, I went to the mass at midnight last year and it was awesome. Best of the year, for sure!

When you really think about it… it is quite strange that churches don’t all worship on Christmas Day. We’ve set aside this day to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ… yet on that day, we exchange material goods and gorge ourselves on pie…

odd.

-Michael
 
A good friend once remarked to me that it is the most shameful thing we do when we give and get presents for everyone on Dec 25 yet forget to give a present to the birthday celebrant: Jesus Christ.

I recall that now every advent and try make as many spiritual and material offerings to Christ and offer it to him on Christmas Eve Mass.

in XT.
 
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Ahimsa:
Cindy Willison, a spokeswoman for the evangelical Southland Christian Church, said at least 500 volunteers are needed, along with staff, to run Sunday services for the estimated 8,000 people who usually attend. She said many of the volunteers appreciate the chance to spend Christmas with their families instead of working, although she said a few church members complained.
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Is this just nuts?? 500 people? What in the heck are 500 people doing to run a service? Including lay ministers, a Catholic church would need, what, maybe 20?
 
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MooCowSteph:
Is this just nuts?? 500 people? What in the heck are 500 people doing to run a service? Including lay ministers, a Catholic church would need, what, maybe 20?
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Keep in mind though that a Catholic mass may have a few hundred in attendence - this church has 8,000 - which explains why they need 500 volunteers. When we visited Willow Creek - the mega church near us, there were TONS of people volunteering - lots were needed to staff the food court and the coffee bars… not to mention drive the shuttle buses from the far parking lots up to the church building.

A Willow Creek spokesman was quoted in the paper as basically saying that it wasn’t worth it to have a Christmas Day service because last time Christmas fell on a Sunday (1994) only 1,500 people showed up for worship. I guess that number isn’t enough to justify going to all the bother of the service/ production?? Sort of a contrast to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, going after just 1 lost sheep?
 
carol marie:
Keep in mind though that a Catholic mass may have a few hundred in attendence - this church has 8,000 - which explains why they need 500 volunteers. When we visited Willow Creek - the mega church near us, there were TONS of people volunteering - lots were needed to staff the food court and the coffee bars… not to mention drive the shuttle buses from the far parking lots up to the church building.

A Willow Creek spokesman was quoted in the paper as basically saying that it wasn’t worth it to have a Christmas Day service because last time Christmas fell on a Sunday (1994) only 1,500 people showed up for worship. I guess that number isn’t enough to justify going to all the bother of the service/ production?? Sort of a contrast to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, going after just 1 lost sheep?
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My point was that they should really forget the coffee bars, food courts, parking attendants (shuttle buses necessary, though), nursery care, extra greeters, traffic “cops”, and all that jazz and focus on Jesus. I would bet the Vatican doesn’t need 500 staff or volunteers for their masses, which probably number in the thousands every day.
 
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MooCowSteph:
My point was that they should really forget the coffee bars, food courts, parking attendants (shuttle buses necessary, though), nursery care, extra greeters, traffic “cops”, and all that jazz and focus on Jesus. I would bet the Vatican doesn’t need 500 staff or volunteers for their masses, which probably number in the thousands every day.
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Very true.

But I think it’s all that other stuff (food court - coffee bars - flashing lights - worship bands - dramas etc.) that attracts & keeps a certain type of person going to those mega churches. Willow Creek has thousands that attend. Guess how many calls of complaint they received (according to the paper) when they announced no services would be held on Sunday the 25th? Only 2.

How sad. Of the THOUSANDS only 2 people feel strongly enough about no church on Christmas Sunday to make a phone call. So I ask myself… suppose they announced that from now on the food court is closed - there will be no fancy coffee bars - from now on it’s going to be just a time devoted to God without all of the “extras” - how many calls of complaint do you think they’d get???
 
carol marie:
Keep in mind though that a Catholic mass may have a few hundred in attendence - this church has 8,000 - which explains why they need 500 volunteers.
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Our Lady of Perpetual Help Shrine here in Paranaque, Philippines have around 2,000-3,000+ Mass goers every hour during Wednesdays and Sundays, but I am more than sure they don’t have 500 volunteers running around. Keep in mind that this is on an hourly basis, so there are more than 2,000 people going in and out of that church during those days.
 
This is a chance to invite evangelists to the true church Catholic Church 😃
 
As one of those Evangelicals who normally don’t have a church service on Christmas Day, I wince when my Catholic mom asks over the phone, “So, did you go to church today?” I continue that wince when is a puzzled silence on the phone after I say “no” (although I quickly add that we DID have a Christmas Eve service–by the way, I remember going to midnight Mass growing up; did that count as a Christmas Day service? Just wondering). Just to let you know that our church (AG) will be having a service on Christmas Day, since it is Sunday (and we’ll still have the Christmas Eve service too). Since we do have a Christmas eve service, maybe that is viewed as our “substitute” (for lack of a better word) for Christmas Day service (although I can’t help but note that the day STARTED as a church service, a “Christ Mass”). Anyway, Merry Christmas to all of you, and God bless!
 
carol marie:
Very true.

But I think it’s all that other stuff (food court - coffee bars - flashing lights - worship bands - dramas etc.) that attracts & keeps a certain type of person going to those mega churches. Willow Creek has thousands that attend. Guess how many calls of complaint they received (according to the paper) when they announced no services would be held on Sunday the 25th? Only 2.

How sad. Of the THOUSANDS only 2 people feel strongly enough about no church on Christmas Sunday to make a phone call. So I ask myself… suppose they announced that from now on the food court is closed - there will be no fancy coffee bars - from now on it’s going to be just a time devoted to God without all of the “extras” - how many calls of complaint do you think they’d get???
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You are exactly right, and that’s very sad. I am sure the complaints would FLOOD in.
 
To stay on point the reason this is a big deal is that this year Christmas is a Sunday. It is fine to have vigil services for Sundays or holy days like today! What is the issue is when can we have ONLY vigils and no services on the day itself. Is not having enough of a crowd justification? Is not having someone to man the coffee bar reason enough?

I did call Willow Creek just like I called the archdiocese in 1993 when they started making certain holy days optional if they were Saturday or Monday.

I told them both the same thing if a day is holy(Sunday here day of obligation in 1993) then you have a service period! Unless there is no minister/priest or a disaster(fire, hurricane etc.) then you offer a service no matter how poorly attended. One does not need all the bells and whistles to have a proper worship service.

Isn’t every Sunday a day we could spend with family and isn’t that why so many people are “unchurched”? If Willow Creek is trying to reach them they need to challenge to get involved and not capitulate to them in their lethargy.

The gal at Willow Creek said they will have 7 or 8 services leading up to Christmas and they made a DVD for people to share on Christmas day. They mean well but just like Cliff Notes and a movie are not reading, this falls short of what God wants, in my opinion.
 
carol marie:
The more I think about it… the more suprised I am that the mega-Churches are closing on Chirstmas. Haven’t they heard, “The show must go on?”

😉
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🙂
 
Catherine S. said:
🙂
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Nothing says more Christmas than seeing a family in their Sunday finest attending their church on Christmas morning. Sort of sets the tone for the rest of the day. But what do I know.
 
The evangelical church my family attends (I am the only practicing Catholic) will definitely be OPEN Christmas Day! They wouldn’t think of closing on such a special day…I don’t get it.
 
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