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 Cancelling Sunday night services |
weary preacher |
| For you all who have done it could you honestly tell me something. Did it make you or the church feel defeated when you went ahead and cancelled it due to lack of interest? I'm thinking of doing it. I'll have a meeting with my church people first and see what they want to do, but its tough to justify heating and cooling the whole church just for a few people. |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 70
3/21/07 7:55 am
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| Hey Weary..... |
Unidentified |
If its just a few people, why not make it a PM small group at someone's home? It would be a more intimate time together and the fellowship/relationship building is out of this world. You may find that this is something the people want.
Let me warn you, though. At one church I worked at, some of those who had been around a while really complained about the cancelled services. The irony was, they didn't even attend them. They said they wanted the service available just in case they wanted to come.
Go with your heart. If people leave over something like that, they were never there with you to begin with.
_________________
Keep guessing...you're not even close! |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 92
3/21/07 8:22 am
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| Encourage the whole congregation |
Phil Hoover |
to get into small groups on Sunday nights....it doesn't have to be a LONG, and overly-structured setting...but the fellowship and community is important....
I think your church will really enjoy it.
_________________
There is a ROCK between me and a hard place. His name is JESUS.
www.philhoover-chicago.blogspot.com |
Acts-pert Poster
Posts: 15382
3/21/07 8:31 am
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| Why dont we just.... |
Resource |
| Cancel God and let everyone go to Hell |
New Member
Posts: 10
3/21/07 10:41 am
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| Cancel God???? |
islandboy |
| Statistically there is about 5 people get saved in a year at A Church on the pm service. Let's just cancel those services - 'cause it is not worth showing up about 50 times a year. But yet how many preachers have said "If it's just for one it's worth it."??? Resource is right --what are we thinking?? |
Member
Posts: 29
3/21/07 10:48 am
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SCFIRE |
We don't have Sunday night services except for the last Sunday night of the month which is our youth service where they do everything, preaching, singing, praying. All of it.
Our Sunday morning services end around one or so with everybody knowing that there is no Sunday night service and they come for that service. People do what they are trained to do.
Our Sunday morning services are very exciting times and we are small compared to some, ave 125, but on the youth night services we are averaging 110.
But we also have extraordinary Wed nite services. We are averaging 80 in these services.
Our people are encouraged to have family time on Sunday nights.
If you think God is cancelled out of our services you are encouraged to attend one of them.
If you can't make it without a Sunday night service then you can't make it with it. People do what they want to do, therefore we try to make it good for them. Also we have people driving from other cities for the Sunday Morning service.
21 years without a Sunday Night service and still in a Holy Ghost revival.
Boom, there it is..! ! ! !
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IT'S GOD'S TIME FOR SOUTH CAROLINA |
Acts-celerater
Posts: 714
3/21/07 10:54 am
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shaunbwilson |
One large Church of God in Maryland cancels Sunday night services through the summer so families can enjoy their Sunday evenings together. With summer just around the corner, maybe a planned cancellation of services for Family Time throughout the summer would be a good "trial" run.
_________________
Signature Themes: Connectedness | Futuristic | Ideation | Intellection | Learner |
Site Admin
Posts: 3222
3/21/07 11:20 am
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| Small groups... |
prefontaine |
| I think this is a great idea. I don't know that I would use heating and cooling as the excuse as much as some other issues though. The leadership of our church started a Sunday night service about 2 years ago, and the effort to get it on Sunday night rather than Saturday night was headed by a couple of families in leadership. So, we tried it, knowing that we could change it if we wanted to. The people that really pushed for it rarely, if ever, showed up. There were weeks that there were more people on the worship team than not- so, we discontinued it. It became more of an issue that we were wearing out the ones that came to set everything up and prepare for less than 10 people most of the time. No one new came in in the few months we did it, and there was no real outreach based on that service (which was a "selling point" of the people that pushed for that service). Now we are having church in a tent, and we have to set all the sound stuff up every time we meet, and that just isn't gonna happen twice in the same day. |
Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 5103
3/21/07 11:51 am
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| Anyone remember? |
sheepdogandy |
When folks looked forward to Sun night at Church.
Passionate Pentecostal worship.
Singing, shouting, preaching and praying.
No time constraints.
Open ended and full throttle!
_________________
Charles A. Hutchins
Senior Pastor SPWC
Congregational Church of God
www.spwc.church |
Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 7307
3/21/07 11:54 am
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| I'll tell you what I remember... |
prefontaine |
| I remember a worship leader saying "we're going to blow the roof off this place" ("we're" being the active word there). I remember people getting caught up in emotion, but not changing. I know this is my experience, and it is not across the board-I hope. However, why can't people experience God the same way in the AM? Why can't we have a great move of God in the morning? |
Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 5103
3/21/07 12:09 pm
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UNCbluebleeder |
Come on, Sheepdog, you know family is more important than God.
_________________
Like the fat kid in dodgeball........I'm out. |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1397
3/21/07 12:09 pm
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| Everyone please go back and read your posts.... |
Unidentified |
Many of you are worshipping the experience and not the creator. What makes Sunday night any more holier than any other day? What makes a Sunday pm service more effective than a great small group Bible study?
Can anyone seriously answer that? People are healed, saved, filled with the spirit, and touched just the same at these small groups. In fact, a more intimate connection with God seems to take place because others are opening up rather then hearing someone preach.
Come on, people.....both sides are good and there is no one way to be right on this. Jesus is the Way, whether it be on Sunday night, Monday, Thursday, or whatever! Get off your high holy horses and quit worshipping the experience!
Enough said!
_________________
Keep guessing...you're not even close! |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 92
3/21/07 12:32 pm
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| Re: Anyone remember? |
georgiapath |
| sheepdogandy wrote: | When folks looked forward to Sun night at Church.
Passionate Pentecostal worship.
Singing, shouting, preaching and praying.
No time constraints.
Open ended and full throttle! |
I do, we still Sunday PM service and I still enjoy it. Going to someone's house is not Church, that is socializing. Guess that's what a lot of people want to turn church into, a social club. |
Acts-dicted
Posts: 7604
3/21/07 12:47 pm
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KariJay |
My thoughts on the subject...
I never really understood why we have two services on Sundays. When I explain to friends of mine that go to other churches that I have to return for service on Sunday nights, they seem very confused. Personally, I would rather have another service during the week than go back to church twice in one day. I have no arguments with going to church...I love church...I love fellowship with people. But sometimes I wish it were more spread out.
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www.karilife.com
Living Life...Learning Life...Loving Life... |
Golf Cart Mafia Capo Famiglia
Posts: 4825
3/21/07 12:49 pm
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juice box |
I would rather not have service on Sunday night because I am very busy during the week and at the church 2 or 3 times every week anyway. Just would be nice to spend it with my Wife and kids and my friends. I love church but when you work all week it would be nice to have a break on that night
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One Love, One God, and Only One Way
 Marching on for BV his legend will never die |
Friendly Face
Posts: 439
3/21/07 12:53 pm
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| Sunday evening services... |
Phil Hoover |
can be very meaningful.
I am NO LONGER sold on the idea that every free moment of my life has to be spent at the church...
At one time I was a STAUNCH supporter of such a plan...but not anymore.
I just about had a nervous breakdown, and did have a very minor heart attack, trying to "fullfill all the church commitments."
If we measure a person's relationship with God by the flawed standard of spending every free minute of their life at the church facilities, then we are a sad, sorry lot, indeed.
If that is the standard, we no better than the Pharisees in the New Testament--whom Jesus regularly criticized and reproved.
I firmly believe in regular, faithful church attendance. I can remember those times when I walked more than ten miles to get to my local church in Huntsville, AL (I was a teenager in Pastor Gary's youth group--he can vouch that it is true).
But it seems like we are more concerned with people "coming to church"--to the facilities, than with them "BEING THE CHURCH" once they leave the sanctuary.
What say ye?
_________________
There is a ROCK between me and a hard place. His name is JESUS.
www.philhoover-chicago.blogspot.com |
Acts-pert Poster
Posts: 15382
3/21/07 12:54 pm
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| Re: Anyone remember? |
Unidentified |
| georgiapath wrote: | | sheepdogandy wrote: | When folks looked forward to Sun night at Church.
Passionate Pentecostal worship.
Singing, shouting, preaching and praying.
No time constraints.
Open ended and full throttle! |
I do, we still Sunday PM service and I still enjoy it. Going to someone's house is not Church, that is socializing. Guess that's what a lot of people want to turn church into, a social club. |
Are you really serious or are you just yanking everyone's chain? No one is talking about turning the church into a social club. Have you ever been to a small group Bible study? Surely you've been to a prayer meeting at someone's house? If so, what do you think you just involved yourself in? A social club? Didn't the church of Acts meet in each others' homes?
Come on, people. Can't you see you are worshipping the wrong thing here? IDOLATERS!
_________________
Keep guessing...you're not even close! |
Hey, DOC
Posts: 92
3/21/07 2:10 pm
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| Re: Anyone remember? |
Bullseye77 |
| Unidentified wrote: | | georgiapath wrote: | | sheepdogandy wrote: | When folks looked forward to Sun night at Church.
Passionate Pentecostal worship.
Singing, shouting, preaching and praying.
No time constraints.
Open ended and full throttle! |
I do, we still Sunday PM service and I still enjoy it. Going to someone's house is not Church, that is socializing. Guess that's what a lot of people want to turn church into, a social club. |
Are you really serious or are you just yanking everyone's chain? No one is talking about turning the church into a social club. Have you ever been to a small group Bible study? Surely you've been to a prayer meeting at someone's house? If so, what do you think you just involved yourself in? A social club? Didn't the church of Acts meet in each others' homes?
Come on, people. Can't you see you are worshipping the wrong thing here? IDOLATERS! |
Unidentified, you need to cool your jets. Nobody here has even come close to being an "idolater". For or against Sunday evening service. I still have Sunday evening service. And it works for some folks in some places. I am reluctant to give it up because it accommodates some people who can't get here any other time. The way I look at it, the whole day is the Lord's day, so one service or five makes no difference if the day is dedicated to the Lord in worship. I have a question about some folk's "family time". Much of that is spent in front of the TV. I don't see a lot of spiritual value in that, but that is for them to decide.
But I would suggest you go easy on the "idolater" label. It doesn't help any in the process of trying to have a reasoned discussion.
_________________
On Target!! |
Acts Enthusiast
Posts: 1441
3/22/07 9:27 am
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| Re: Sunday evening services... |
shaunbwilson |
| Phil Hoover wrote: | can be very meaningful.
I am NO LONGER sold on the idea that every free moment of my life has to be spent at the church...
At one time I was a STAUNCH supporter of such a plan...but not anymore.
I just about had a nervous breakdown, and did have a very minor heart attack, trying to "fullfill all the church commitments."
If we measure a person's relationship with God by the flawed standard of spending every free minute of their life at the church facilities, then we are a sad, sorry lot, indeed.
If that is the standard, we no better than the Pharisees in the New Testament--whom Jesus regularly criticized and reproved.
I firmly believe in regular, faithful church attendance. I can remember those times when I walked more than ten miles to get to my local church in Huntsville, AL (I was a teenager in Pastor Gary's youth group--he can vouch that it is true).
But it seems like we are more concerned with people "coming to church"--to the facilities, than with them "BEING THE CHURCH" once they leave the sanctuary.
What say ye? |
Phil,
I very much enjoyed your post.
It comes to mind that Jesus didn't seem to spend a whole lot of time in church. He spent most of His time split between socializing with His disciples and socializing with sinners. It was during these social times that He would stop and give powerful, life-changing parables and life lessons.
It doesn't seem that Jesus would advertise His entering a city for an evangelical crusade. He would show up and He would start to socialize and there was something in Him that led the people to ask Him questions and His reply to eternally change lives. His teachings were so powerful that thousands of people would begin to gather, stopping to hang on His every word.
Forsake not yourselves to assemble together, but don't get so caught up in pew-sitting that you're no good to the lost outside the walls. The way I see it, we should be assembling to keep steady in our faith as we concentrate more of our time on being in the world spreading our faith.
We each have a numbered amount of minutes in our life. Being good stewards of those minutes by properly diversifying those minutes to glorify God should be our ultimate goal.
_________________
Signature Themes: Connectedness | Futuristic | Ideation | Intellection | Learner |
Site Admin
Posts: 3222
3/22/07 10:16 am
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| Here's the hoot. |
sheepdogandy |
We hold services on Sun evenings.
Having said that, Sun AM is now the most powerful service.
We have not changed anything.
It has just turned out that way.
_________________
Charles A. Hutchins
Senior Pastor SPWC
Congregational Church of God
www.spwc.church |
Hon. Dr. in Acts-celeratology
Posts: 7307
3/22/07 3:55 pm
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