Posted on 12/09/2005 5:30:04 AM PST by WKB
ATLANTA - Two of the biggest churches in metro Atlanta will take the day off this Christmas since it falls on a Sunday.
First Baptist Church of Atlanta -- led by the Reverend Charles Stanley -- and North Point Community Church in Alpharetta -- led by his son, Andy Stanley -- say they want to allow their staff, volunteers and congregation to celebrate the birth of Jesus in other ways.
They join a handful of churches around the nation that will close.
Historically, attendance is low when Christmas falls on Sunday. That's partly because people go out of town to visit relatives.
Leaders of First Baptist Church of Atlanta would NOT comment on the closing. The church claims more than 15,000 members and is active in the Georgia Baptist Convention.
Charles Stanley is a past president of the Southern Baptist Convention -- the nation's largest protestant denomination.
A spokeswoman for the convention -- Diane Reasoner -- says the decision of whether to be open on Christmas -- quote -- "is up to the individual church."
Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist and Presbyterian churches around Atlanta will hold Christmas services.
Now I don't feel so guilty Baptist Ping
Its easy for people to criticize larger churches for doing this.
But those churches rely on volunteer labor to operate on Sundays. Its hard enough getting all of the people to show up for nursery work. Or for parking lot duty.
Getting all of these unpaid people to show up on Christmas morning could be difficult.
I'd recommend throwing a great Christmas Eve service on a convenient Saturday--perfect opportunity.
Personally, I cannot see why any chrch would not be open on Christmas day. It is one of the two most holy days of the year for Christians.
P.S. I know of the problems with getting enough volunteers. It is the same tiny percentage that do everything.
Our mini church is having our Christmas service on the 18th. To be honest I'm not sure if they'll be having a service Christmas morning... We'll probably take a poll to see how many are planning on being in town... and if there are only a few they may not have a service...
I know for a fact that about 6 of the 15 or so families won't be in town - including our pastor...
If we decide to cancel the service it won't be difficult to call everybody.. laugh. That's what the pastor did Wednesday night when the weather was bad..
My in-laws attend North Point, and this does not surprise me. North Point has literally hundreds of people working every Sunday, two full auditoriums, three services a day. They've got sound and video equipment that's probably the envy of half the TV stations in the country. Dozens of greeters, ushers, soundmen, cameramen, video operators, two praise bands, etc. It's not a typical throw-the-doors-open-whenever-people-want place...it looks more like a huge community college building than a church!
There was another Sunday that they shut down this past year, or last year, but I can't remember what it was. Might've been last Christmas, but I'm not sure. Foxfire4, do you remember?
}:-)4
I'm pretty sure that they only shut down on Christmas Sunday, and they've been doing that for years. I love North Point (it's not my style as a church, but they do good work), and when they spend 51 weeks a year going all-out in production as well as sermon, I think a week off is a good thing for the congregation as well as the volunteers.
Why don't they just open the door, everyone find their own seat and some ready the Bible and the Pastor says a few words. No offering or music necessary. Sounds like I have fixed the problem of not enough volunteers. The Catholic Church I belong to would NEVER close especially on a Sunday!!!
What a better place to celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ's arrival and await in joy for his return.
Oh please don't feel guilty. It's a decision for each church to make and if you want to go to church Christmas morning you could always visit another church. 8^)
It's hard getting the volunteers to show up on regular Sundays. I am burdened about the lack of commitment of many of my fellow church members.
Our old pastor Dr. Homer G. Lindsay Jr. used to say a little rain won't keep you home from work so why is it keeping you home from church. If people devoted half of the energy that they used to put out when living for the devil into living for Jesus, what would our community look like?
I'm not familiar with that church, where is it?
Last year when Florida was in rapid succession hurricane mode we actually cancelled services a couple of times.
>But those churches rely on volunteer labor to operate on Sundays. Its hard enough getting all of the people to show up for nursery work. Or for parking lot duty.<
All churches operate on volunteer help.Close the nursery and have family worship.Oh!sorry I forgot fussy kids don't look good on TV.
>There was another Sunday that they shut down this past year, or last year, but I can't remember what it was. Might've been last Christmas, but I'm not sure. Foxfire4, do you remember? <
They are shut down on New Years Day also.Hard to get yuppies with hangovers to show up I guess.
>I'm pretty sure that they only shut down on Christmas Sunday<
They weren't in existance the last time Christmas was on Sunday.They are a mile wide and a inch deap.
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