| WHY BOTHER TO GO TO CHURCH? |
OK, we'll admit it! In 21st century America, going to church is a odd sort of thing to do.
While once it was the norm, today attending any type of worship services regularly is
becoming increasingly counter-cultural. And maybe that's not a bad thing.
Why do people bother to turn up for worship on a Sunday morning when they could be doing
all sorts of other things, like washing the car, digging the garden or going shopping? The only
good reason for going to church is because you get something out of it. If you find it dull or
pointless, or both, you won’t go again.
In the past, many people went to church out of a sense of obligation or even fear. In some
times and places, a person had to belong to a church and attend regularly to be able to hold an
important position in the community or even to vote. Some people believe that attending
worship services is necessary to be obedient to God or to find salvation, to keep from going to
hell. While many people today still go to church for these reasons, for others these reasons are
not compelling.
So why Church is one place in our society where people come together not so much to do
something, or to watch something, but simply to be together.
It is all too easy to get sucked up into a spiral of busy-ness in our daily lives. Sometimes we
need a time of quiet and of reflection. Church services, at their best, provide such quiet
moments and encourage us to ask important questions. What really matters to us? How do
we see our lives? What are our priorities? Do they need revising? What is life all about?
All the great world religions focus on such questions because they are the only ones that really
matter. Those who simply can’t see the point in reflecting on the big questions in life are
unlikely to get much out of a church service. But those who think that life is too important to
waste, and who feel they need that time of stillness, may find that church is able to provide
them with a suitable forum for finding help in their personal journeying. Church can act as a
much-needed counterbalance to the self-centeredness that is endemic in our society.
Worship at the Church of the Open Door is somewhat informal. Come as you are, the dress
code is casual. Some of our folks like to get dressed up on Sundays, others prefer comfort
over fashion. There is music to listen to and silence to reflect. We sing songs that may be
familiar or may be new to you. There is a time for prayer when people share their concerns
and joys out loud, or sometimes in the silence of their hearts. We listen to a passage from the
Bible and the pastor shares some insights on what meaning those words might have for our
lives. Once a month we share in Holy Communion, a special way of remembering the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus. After worship many people like to linger over coffee and
doughnuts, sharing conversation with old friends and making new ones.
Children of all ages are always welcome in worship. Many parents find it hard to worship with
their squirming toddlers, so we have a rocking chair at the back and loving nursery care
available. School age children usually attend Sunday School during the worship hour where
they learn about God’s love through active involvement with stories from the Bible. Middle
school and high school youth are encouraged to take an active part in worship, and also have
age-appropriate discussions regarding topics of interest.
While once it was the norm, today attending any type of worship services regularly is
becoming increasingly counter-cultural. And maybe that's not a bad thing.
Why do people bother to turn up for worship on a Sunday morning when they could be doing
all sorts of other things, like washing the car, digging the garden or going shopping? The only
good reason for going to church is because you get something out of it. If you find it dull or
pointless, or both, you won’t go again.
In the past, many people went to church out of a sense of obligation or even fear. In some
times and places, a person had to belong to a church and attend regularly to be able to hold an
important position in the community or even to vote. Some people believe that attending
worship services is necessary to be obedient to God or to find salvation, to keep from going to
hell. While many people today still go to church for these reasons, for others these reasons are
not compelling.
So why Church is one place in our society where people come together not so much to do
something, or to watch something, but simply to be together.
It is all too easy to get sucked up into a spiral of busy-ness in our daily lives. Sometimes we
need a time of quiet and of reflection. Church services, at their best, provide such quiet
moments and encourage us to ask important questions. What really matters to us? How do
we see our lives? What are our priorities? Do they need revising? What is life all about?
All the great world religions focus on such questions because they are the only ones that really
matter. Those who simply can’t see the point in reflecting on the big questions in life are
unlikely to get much out of a church service. But those who think that life is too important to
waste, and who feel they need that time of stillness, may find that church is able to provide
them with a suitable forum for finding help in their personal journeying. Church can act as a
much-needed counterbalance to the self-centeredness that is endemic in our society.
Worship at the Church of the Open Door is somewhat informal. Come as you are, the dress
code is casual. Some of our folks like to get dressed up on Sundays, others prefer comfort
over fashion. There is music to listen to and silence to reflect. We sing songs that may be
familiar or may be new to you. There is a time for prayer when people share their concerns
and joys out loud, or sometimes in the silence of their hearts. We listen to a passage from the
Bible and the pastor shares some insights on what meaning those words might have for our
lives. Once a month we share in Holy Communion, a special way of remembering the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus. After worship many people like to linger over coffee and
doughnuts, sharing conversation with old friends and making new ones.
Children of all ages are always welcome in worship. Many parents find it hard to worship with
their squirming toddlers, so we have a rocking chair at the back and loving nursery care
available. School age children usually attend Sunday School during the worship hour where
they learn about God’s love through active involvement with stories from the Bible. Middle
school and high school youth are encouraged to take an active part in worship, and also have
age-appropriate discussions regarding topics of interest.
| Worship |
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