Posted on 12/21/2005 10:56:38 AM PST by sionnsar
All of the 25 largest Episcopal churches in terms of average Sunday attendance will be holding at least one service on Christmas Day this year, the first time since 1994 that Christmas has fallen on a Sunday.
Willow Creek Community Church, one of the largest churches in America, recently announced that it was canceling all worship services this coming Sunday and asking its members to stay home and spend time with their families on Christmas Day instead. Since the announcement, a number of other “megachurches” announced similar plans.
“For a church that glories in the Incarnation, it would be improbable to cancel services on Christmas Day,” said the Rev. Andrew J. Archie, rector of St. Michael and St. George in Clayton, Mo. “If there is one habit that I want my parishioners to have it is coming to church on Sunday. I’m not going to get in the way of that.”
Fr. Archie said St. Michael and St. George will have one service on Christmas Day. St. David’s, Austin, Texas, will hold three, including Compline at 9 p.m. The service is held every Sunday evening and is primarily attended by single adults with no children, according to the Rev. David A. Boyd, rector. “Our worship planning committee concluded that this was a service whose population would be likely to come,” Fr. Boyd said.
The Rev Jay Sidebotham, rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Ill., told The Living Church “it never occurred to me that we would have no service at all” on Christmas Day. Fr Sidebotham noted Holy Spirit had “decided to go to one service at 10 a.m. and have canceled our standard 7:30 a.m. service, which for some of our folks, is in itself a pretty radical move.”
Originally Christ Church Cranbrook, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., planned just one service on Sunday, but when several regulars from the 8 a.m. Sunday service asked for an early service, the rector said he was delighted to oblige. “When someone wants to have a service, we are inclined to do it,” said the Rev. Edward A. Mullins, who added that after the 10 a.m. service there will be a Christmas dinner for anyone in the area who would otherwise be eating by themselves.
St. Luke’s, Birmingham, Ala., will also host a dinner after its Christmas Day service, said the Rev. Richmond R. Webster. “I have children who are 13 and 11 and they are dependable acolytes,” he said. “They have always associated Christmas Day with worship.”
The dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta, the Very Rev. Samuel Candler, said he has used the announcement about churches being closed this Sunday as a teaching tool and believes it illustrates the contrast between the worship geared toward “entertainment” and the historic church.
“The Episcopal Church, like other historical churches, is where people go through graceful changes of life together, not necessarily where they are entertained,” Dean Candler said. “Christmas is an occasion for the entire community. We share a history of ups and downs together.”
The Rev. Canon David H. Roseberry, rector of Christ Church, Plano, Texas, concurs with Dean Candler. While megachurches provide a great deal of leadership and depth to American Christianity, in this instance they need “to look to the mainline” churches for guidance Canon Roseberry said. “`Closed for Sunday' is the sign that hangs in a business, not a church.”
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. However, the First United Methodist Church, the same distance away, is having all of their Sunday services, without Sunday school and Discipleship classes.
Guess where I'll be?
It's unbelievable that this discussion even has to take place.
But, take a good look at the Joel Osteen's medicine show and you get a good idea what SOME of these megachurches are all about.
If it's more important to spend Sundays at home with the family instead of worshipping the Lord for an hour, then maybe those churches that are shutting down this Sunday should stay shut down, giving their members every Sunday to stay home with the family.
Nothing has changed.
The worldly and self-important still miss the meaning and humble message of this wonderful day.
Our ECUSA parish (St. Helena's, Burr Ridge, IL, Anglo-Catholic) will be having a Christmas Eve service at 10:30 PM and a Christmas Day service at 10:00 AM. I'll be at both, and I expect greater-than-average attendance at both. I can't imagine not going to church on Christ's birthday, the coming of hope for the world.
Not cool to dis Him on His own Birthday Party.
They list the National Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul is among the 25 having "Christmas" services; the midnight service is purely pagan, mentionning all major religions except Christianity.
My Parish, I'm Catholic, had to add 2 Masses to our standard 4 Sunday Masses. An that's in addition to 3 Vigil Masses on Saturday and Midnight Mass at midnight. It never occured to me that some folks would ever consider cancelling Sunday Church Services of any persuasion.
Most churches I've attended have THREE services on Christmas Eve. For us, Christmas day is spent with family.
Not having a Christmas Day service is nothing new. Been going on since I was a kid......and that's a long long time ago!
We're having 2 Christmas Eve Services - 5:30PM (en Espanol) and 7:30PM.
Christmas Day: 10:00AM.
So if you happen to find yourselves in the middle of the Colorado Rockies and you're looking for a place to worship...
Or as my wife said recently, "Your Christmas Eve and Christmas Day sermons were so good last year...we might even see some of those folks again!" ;)
This gentleman has in fact, put his finger right on the core issue here, albeit unwittingly.
"Megachurches", sad to say, are very often just that.
Businesses.
Our 2 year-old AMiA parish, Church of the Good Shepherd in Davidson, NC, will have two services on Christmas Eve and one on Christmas Day.
Unfortunately, we will be in Northern Westchester/Southern Putnam County, NY for Christmas. Does anyone have a suggestion for a good theologically orthodox liturgical service in the area? Anglican, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox would all be fine.
Our Presbyterian Church is only having 2 services Sunday morning instead of 3. They cancelled children's Sunday School and encouraged parents to bring the children to church. Some adult SS classes are meeting, some are not. We'll see how many folks show up. I do expect the 3 Christmas eve services to be full.
Merry Christmas! Out of curiosity, any other AMiA folks here?
"“Our worship planning committee concluded that this was a service whose population would be likely to come,” Fr. Boyd said."
I'm almost afraid to ask this, S. What's worship planning committee?
Perhaps they may formally change the name of the denomination from Protestant to the Pagan Episcopal Church USA.
Their website (www.cathedral.org) does not list a midnight service- Here is what IS on their schedule--- Trust, but verify!
Christmas Eve
Saturday, December 24
6 pm Service of Lessons and Carols (Nave)
10 pm Festival Holy Eucharist (Nave)
Free passes are required for these services:
Click here for Christmas Pass Information
Due to service preparations, the nave (main) level will close at 1 pm, and the rest of the Cathedral at 2 pm; the Cathedral will reopen at 5 pm for the 6 pm service. After the 6 pm service, the Cathedral will close until reopening at 9 pm for the 10 pm service.
Christmas Day
Sunday, December 25
9 am Festival Holy Eucharist (Nave) (nationally telecast)
Noon Holy Eucharist (High Altar)
4 pm Vespers of Christmas Day (Great Choir)
No passes are required for these services.
Click here for list of stations carrying the 9 am service. The Cathedral will close at 6:30 pm after the 5 pm Christmas Day Organ Recital.
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