I Miss Church

Amen, Kathy! I feel the same way!

Psalm 122:1 I Was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.

 

I am with ya there Kathy! I am there on Monday's for ladies prayer meeting, Wednesday night Bible study and Sunday morning and evening and in between all that, I MISS IT TOO!!!

I just can't seem to get enough of the Word and the fellowship, which is why I check this board every time I have a few free minutes!

~Lorelei

 

Hello Kathy ... I agree with you. With the job I'm working I only get to go every other Sunday and Wednesday. I have a 10 day stretch with no Church. I get a tape of the service but really miss the handshakes and hugs.

Stephen

 

Kathy,

I have so much to do I am at wits end.

I have choir practice on Sunday and then Sunday School and then choir practice again before the Evening Service. During the evening service I teach our two and three year olds. Then on Tuesday nights we have our vistiation and soul winning ministry and Wednesday before church is the ladies prayer meeting and then of course the prayer meeting and Bible study on Wednesday. Thursday afternoon I do a Bible study and Friday nights we are starting our Bible study with "Thin Again" for weight loss which I am leading. On Saturday mornings is the men's prayer meeting and once a month on Saturday mid morning is the Ladies Bible study.

I am the opposite I feel like I am at church more than I am at home. I have three children 8-5-1 and I homeschool them also. So sometimes I just need time to breath. My husband is a deacon in the church and I have many people calling me with problems and concerns.

My suggestion to you is to speak with your pastor and see if you can start a ministry on Friday nights. Maybe with the ladies a Bible study or prayer meeting or something like that. After you speak with your pastor start to speak with the people in the church who would be able to be involved and encourage them to come.

If you need help motivating people to come or to be faithful in coming let me know I do have some ideas.

God Bless you....I appreciate you.

Cyndi

 

Okay After reading Cyndi's post, I am thinking that sometimes there is too much going on at church!

Do we have "too" much *busy-ness* going on these days? What was the true purpose for the early Church to meet?

I agree with coming as oft as possible to hear preaching and to worship the Lord with songs and testimonies.

But what about those times when it interferes with your family life? Do you go because you feel you *have* to in order to stay in good standing?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr. Bob Griffin:


Some need time for business, work, family, friends, community service, etc, but there is nothing to prohibit a church from meeting daily. Just so it isn't required or a guilt-trip laid on folks who opt for other activities. Seen that "holier-than-thou-because-I'm-at-church-every-time-the-doors-are-open" attitude and like to shoot it!

Others?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amen. The question of "do we have too many activities" came up at our church and my position was that 1) there should be as many activities as we can support and 2) generally someone who can/does make it out "every time the doors are open" has something seriously out of balance in their life.

Now I realize that ther are individual exceptions, but I have witnessed families who were a dreadful testimony to their unsaved relatives/friends (if they had any unsaved friends) because of their near cult-like devotion to the church schedule (as differentiated from devotion to Christ).

 

Well,

It depends on the size of your church and I do go to alot of things but I am able to because I homeschool I am home with my children all day long. But If I did not homeschool them I would not go to some of the things that I do.

It is a priviledge to serve the Lord but our relationship with Him and our families should not suffer.

I do the choir ministry and the visitation ministry (about twice a month) and I teach the two and three year olds on Sunday nights and I go the ladies prayer meeting before the prayer meeting and Bible study but I love serving the Lord.

My children love to be at church they ask me when they can go again so for me and my family it is not a problem. As a family we are there on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Friday is my day with the ladies and Thursday and Saturday is our family nights.

The thing to remember is that there is nothing more important than your relationship with the Lord. If you love to get involved in ministry as I do as long as the Lord is first and your relationship with Him is taking a priority and that your family is not suffering but they are all enjoying serving the Lord together then it is ok. But if there are problems that you are too busy and not spending time with the Lord or your children don't want to go to church or your marriage is suffering then you need to re-evaluate.

But to me Kathy sounds like she wants more church and to get involved and I would encourage starting a ministry on Friday's. At our church we also have a youth night every Friday for the kids.

So Kathy if I were you I would pray about and seek the Lord of what you really would like to happen on that night and then talk to Pastor and then see if there is an interest in something like this. But above all prayerfully make the decision.

By the way Keeper of the Home just because being busy for the Lord is not for you it may be for others as long as the priorities are right. Everyone does not go to every ministry. It as depends on the size of your church. We have a good size church and so we have alot ministries including a daycare and a Christian school so what matters is that you do ministry according to God's will not according to busyness.

God Bless.
Cyndi

 

IMHO you make great points as well as excellent advice. On just one of your points I would comment:

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Baptist Mom:
Well,


It is a priviledge to serve the Lord but our relationship with Him and our families should not suffer.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

"serve the Lord" does not necessarily equal "attending church activities". That's really at the heart of what I was getting at and if I may presume, I think what Dr. Bob was getting at where I quoted him. If we are in God's will we are seving Him as much in all our activities as we are "in church".

Not to in ANY WAY minimize the importance of regular church attendance, but just to say that in many cases there can be excess (just like good food!).

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Baptist Mom:
By the way Keeper of the Home just because being busy for the Lord is not for you it may be for others as long as the priorities are right.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ah, but I never said it wasn't for me, did I? It was just a general comment concerning church activities. Have we lost sight of the true meaning of assembling together?

Mostly what caught my attention was when you said I have so much to do I am at wits end. Seems we can take on so much that our joy in serving becomes lost in it all.

I once heard an evangelist preach the following sermon:

Are you so busy doing something FOR God that you forget to do things WITH God?

There is a difference.

 

Hello,

I only said I am at wits end because we have so many things we can do at our church.

No, attending church activities is not the same as serving the Lord. But in most church things I attend I am doing a ministry. For example choir is a ministry, Sunday school is a ministry...I don't teach but we visit and reach out to these people and my sunday night class is a ministry and my weight class is a minstry because I am teaching in both of these.

Kathy, I will be praying with you. Obviously what is good for one is not good for another. But I know where I am and what I am doing is God's will. I just pray that the Lord's will, will be evident in your life.

I appreciate you.
Look forward to talking with you again Kahty.

Cyndi

 

If I wasn't at church all day, most every day, I would feel exactly the same way. When I miss a few days of work, I am ready to get back to see people and corporate worship.

What I can say that I miss is worship without other responsibilities weighing on me. . . without it, the time between is long stretches.

 

I love church!! It is my safe haven. I live right next door and my husband is the pastor so I spend most everyday there doing something. I would not be that active if I was going to do it begrudging. I count it a honor to work for the Savior. If we did not have the commission to go and reach the world I would never want to leave. That is the way it will be when we are finally finished with this life. In the presence of the Savior praising him and basking in his love forever!!

 

What a wonderful topic.

I am not able to get to church as often as I like due to a wacky work schedule, but I get there as often as I can. I, too, find that when I am "gone" for a service (or three), I really miss the worship time, and the fellowship as well. The church is one of the best places to be.

Unfortunately, there have been times when I feel just the opposite. I want nothing to do with church. I find I feel that way when I have unconfessed sin in my life. Sin certainly has a way of throwing a blanket on one's desire to attend church.

As far as there being too much to do in the church, it's unfortunate but true. There are far too many people just willing to sit back and take take take, and never give anything back. The old saying is true; 'In most churches you have 20% of the people doing 80% of the work.' I can only speak for my church, but if just half of the members would get involved, I'm sure we'd turn our city on its ear. Oh well, one can always hope and pray.

God Bless!!!

Adam

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That's my two cents worth. What's yours?

 

People miss ALOT in my church. Even the "deacons" miss two out of three services most of the time. I'm about ready to leave my church because the lack of commitment there. It's really burdened me.