Monday, January 4, 2010

Church gone Crazy

Ok, I try not to say bad things about people.  And certainly not about ministers/priests, for the most part they have a very difficult job to do and I wouldn't want to do it.  But our minister has lost her mind!!!  I received the new schedule (there are six churches in our parish so the services move) and what do I see???  They have scheduled a bunch of EVENING SERVICES!!!  What are they thinking??  Ella is heading to bed shortly after 7pm, not sitting in church.  For that matter, most people at St. Paul's are over 70; I'm sure they don't want to be driving at night in the winter.  Also, for some reason, our church and the church in Beachburg are the only ones being forced to have evening services. 

I'm so tired of the politics and in-fighting that goes on up here.  I've never seen a church like it.  It's so bad I've basically quit the ACW.  I guess we need to save up gas money so we can go to church in Ottawa more often.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

My two cents- if you can just find a Bible believing church to attend in your area (neverminding the denomination) then when you're in town go to the big church. The church is just probably trying to save money, most churches are feeling the recession crunch too. Which leaves the powers that be not really thinking of the people too much.

Paula said...

I'm really tempted to try the Catholic church near us. I'd like to try the Lutheran church (my German family's religion) but that is in Pembroke and I don't want to drive that far for church every week.

I bet they'd say there were trying to save money. But the annoying thing is St Paul's is the only church in the 6 that actually pay all their bills. In fact, we are building a small addition to put in a washroom on the main level (instead of in the basement). Personally I think I know who made the schedule, and they likely did this just to try and hurt the two churches -mistakenly thinking we'll come to St. Patrick's instead.

Like I said, it's all crazy politics.

Anonymous said...

Go for it, and give the other churches a try- at least you'll be in church on Sunday AM- in the daylight. If folks don't come to the evening service, they'll get the hint and change it back. I find it quite annoying when the personality of the ministers/bishops/pastors begin dictating things, it is really not Biblical and only causes strife. Like you say, it's political.

RobertsonAt604 said...

Lift it up to God. ask him what you should do. maybe their is a way that you can get together with some of your peers and do a bible study.

i was in a position where i was unhappy with the leadership at a church for a long time. i had friends there and it was really hard to get over, so i let it just sit and never really gave it too much thought, just complained. eventually i left the church, since then the direction has gone back to what i feel is a correct path.

if your unhappy. you need to switch it up. Church isnt for anything else other then being with God, and sending your praise to the heavens, if when you go there you are burdened by something like the time of the service then thats just a distraction. remember the world can not tear down the church. but the world can tear you down and you can tear down the church.

be careful.

Be so so blessed. "worry not about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself" take care of what you need to take care of and give the rest to God.

Unknown said...

I should have nothing to say here, but can't help it. Evening services don't work in small towns! Can you suggest that you have morning prayer with the lay reader instead, if the priest isn't available? Not to brag, but I used to make it to four services every Sunday, with the latest one being at four pm, although I was a limp rag Monday morning. You can take the issue to your archdeacon if it is causing dissent and poor attendance. I assume you (the congregation) have talked to the priest about this.

Paula said...

Magdalena, this is the craziest part of the whole thing. Most of our services are Morning Prayer with a lay reader. Our minister 'strains' herself to make it to 2 services on Sundays. The other 2 churches get lay readers.

Mom and I have decided that on evening service days we'll just go to church in Ottawa. I'm just tired of the politics.

Unknown said...

Since Mom goes too,that probably a good solution. Sometimes the change is good. I know a lot of priests who think more than 2 services is too much. I can't blame them in a way - some people don't have the stamina, and it is emotionally exhausting. What puzzles me is why bishops match those people with multi-point parishes. Send the energetic athletes to rural areas!

Paula said...

Oh Magdalena, it's easy to know why our minister was sent here. The 'powers that be' would love nothing better than to close 5 of the 6 of our churches. We even had an 'expert' out that made just such a recommendation (unfortunately she was a walmart-type store expert, not church). Her main suggestion was to get converts! Like that would work out here in the country. She also didn't think much of 'cradle Anglicans' which I found a little offensive.

I wish we could get a priest that cares. Ours gives the feeling that she's just passing time (and making good money) till she can get back up with her beloved Indians.

Unknown said...

I'm not in your situation, and not really aware of what's going on there, but I can generalize a little without judging. Rural parishes rarely grow without the priest putting the feet on the street and visiting. It takes a couple of years before anyone sees progress. The occasionals become regulars, the rarelys become occasionals, the regulars become frequents, and the frequents feel encouraged and don't drop off.

Bishops want to close churches because they see them as a drain on resources. Each parish must look to the health of each point in the parish, or a cluster of parishes must look to the health of each member parish. Anglicans stop going to church once their church closes. Few will drive to a new church. To maintain any Anglican presence in a community, all the nearby Anglican churches must cooperate and keep each other going. Cooperative priests help this process. Those that are just marking time until they can return to their preferred form of ministry are not building the body of Christ.

Paula said...

You've hit the nail on the head. Most of our Anglicans won't even go to the other churches in our parish. They stick to THEIR church.

I had to laugh when the 'expert' said to bring family members to 'convert' them. Colin's family are as dyed in the wool United as we are Anglican :) Rural communities don't usually have large groups of people that need to be converted.