Saturday eveing worship services?

[steve-in-kville]

**This thread/poll is to discuss a regular Sunday morning worship service. Not Wednesday evening prayer meetings, Bible studies or business meetings and/or counsel services. Thank you!**

I don't see this in any local conservative groups, but the movement is gaining ground in "looser" groups. I'm seeing Saturday evening services followed by multiple Sunday morning services. Where I have a problem with Saturday evening services is people attend just to "get it out of the way" so they can sleep in and participate in sports or other recreational activities on a Sunday.

Where I like the idea is, I don't believe that worship is limited to a Sunday morning. I often find time to worship with God while walking in the woods or open fields by myself, or even with my younger boys. I can see it with congregations that are getting big and are cramped, but there are other ways to deal with that.

I see the pro's and con's to both. Discuss at will.

[MaxPC]

In Catholic world we also have a Saturday Vigil Mass to meet our Sunday requirement (it represents the Jewish custom of the new day starting after sundown). It accomodates those who are required to work on Sundays but still wish to attend, hear the Word preached, and receive holy communion.

[Josh]

**This thread/poll is to discuss a regular Sunday morning worship service. Not Wednesday evening prayer meetings, Bible studies or business meetings and/or counsel services. Thank you!**

I don't see this in any local conservative groups, but the movement is gaining ground in "looser" groups. I'm seeing Saturday evening services followed by multiple Sunday morning services. Where I have a problem with Saturday evening services is people attend just to "get it out of the way" so they can sleep in and participate in sports or other recreational activities on a Sunday.

Most people I know who like Saturday evening services (outside of Messianic-ish types of people) do so because their job requires them to work on Sunday mornings.

Where I like the idea is, I don't believe that worship is limited to a Sunday morning. I often find time to worship with God while walking in the woods or open fields by myself, or even with my younger boys. I can see it with congregations that are getting big and are cramped, but there are other ways to deal with that.

I see the pro's and con's to both. Discuss at will.

Christian tradition has a rich history of Saturday evening worship in both Orthodox and Catholic traditions. The New Testament makes it clear no one specific day or time of day is more holy than another.

A good part of the world has a Sunday through Thursday workweek. Meeting on Saturday nights is the norm for evangelical Christians in such places. (Traditional Christians like Catholics in such places tend to meet on Sunday and live in ethnic enclaves and villages with their own businesses with different business hours.)

With that said, I would exercise caution with any group that starts to claim Saturday night meetings are “better” or required by the 3rd commandment.

[steve-in-kville]

Most people I know who like Saturday evening services (outside of Messianic-ish types of people) do so because their job requires them to work on Sunday mornings.

I can agree with that. Another trend that I am seeing in the more liberal Church of the Brethren are separate services for "traditional" and "contemporary" services. There is one local that also offers a "mixed" service. Granted, it is one of the larger congregations in the district. And they would never have enough seating for the entire membership.

[Josh]

I dislike "traditional" and "contemporary" splits, simply because it seems to make a division between the generations. I would prefer we all learn to worship together and find unity in sharing each other's worship style preferences.

[ohio jones]

Most people I know who like Saturday evening services (outside of Messianic-ish types of people) do so because their job requires them to work on Sunday mornings.

I've also seen start-up groups that can't find a suitable place to meet on Sunday mornings, but can on Saturday evenings (or Sunday afternoon/evening). Sometimes this is a group with a separate culture or language that shares space with another congregation.

[temporal1]

Most people I know who like Saturday evening services (outside of Messianic-ish types of people) do so because their job requires them to work on Sunday mornings.

I've also seen start-up groups that can't find a suitable place to meet on Sunday mornings, but can on Saturday evenings (or Sunday afternoon/evening). Sometimes this is a group with a separate culture or language that shares space with another congregation.

5pm Saturday services hold a warm and special place in my heart.
When were married with young children, we moved. There were several churches, but, we noticed the Catholic Church was dominant, i.e., most people we met were Catholic.

One day, i jokingly asked a new friend, “do you have to be Catholic to live here?”
he laughed, and suggested, “many go to the Lutheran church, a block away, they have an active group.” Lutheran, Catholic, all foreign to us at that time.

We had attended Baptist-like Christian churches. Not as members. The children were in Sunday School, VBS, etc., but, (i) never felt truly at home. i was not baptized. i was confused about scriptures. i felt there was more i was just not getting, as i felt for all my life.

This was about the time (i believe) the Holy Spirit decided to touch me, to allow me to find Light in those pages that were before just confusing. This, in my home reading and study. There was a time, not just a moment, but, a period of time, maybe years, when, at last, when i turned to scriptures, i sensed Light. it was a joyous time for me. i smile when i remember.

anyway. the Lutheran church. my perception was it was foreign.
the liturgy. how would we deal with it? to most on this forum, it may be hard to imagine how ignorant we were. i consider myself, still, a learner. not a brand-new learner.

we discussed pros+cons. decided, ok, we’ll give it a try.
we made a personal commitment to visit for AT LEAST 6 months-a year, to give it a fair try.
we explained this to the children.
we knew how easy it is to enter a new situation, become intimidated, frightened, maybe insulted, bored, who knows?! - we didn’t want to just walk in and walk out. we knew we, or the children, might want to run away. it’s not unusual.

it was early sumner, we ventured in.
the overall church “campus” seemed pretty big (to us). not a mega church, in any way.

the Saturday services had a smaller attendance, so, they used the original part of the church, they called, the chapel. it was small, traditional, warm, and intimate. seating, maybe 50-100?
probably 50 regularly attend.

the liturgy was foreign and uncomfortable, as we expected.
but, the sermon.
the very first sermon impressed on us that here was a pastor speaking to hearts+souls.
he spoke from his heart.
he spoke with a certain urgency, but, not “pushing.” inviting. imploring hearts.
we could not let the liturgy be an obstacle to this!

Here we began a journey that lasted with him and that church for years.
i was baptized that December, in that very chapel i’d grown to love so.

sometime after first Saturday visit, we learned, the pastor had been given a grave diagnosis of a terminal illness, the prognosis was bleak. he and his wife made regular visits to Mayo Clinic.
i never knew what the diagnosis was. but, MANY PRAYED for him.

looking back, i have to think, his touching heartfelt approach to sermons HAD to have been intensified, believing his time was short. he was a loved, experienced pastor. but, this terminal diagnosis had to intensify his mission. a human response.

prayers prevailed! he survived well beyond all predictions.
he did so well, it became hard to remember that period even happened.

those were happy thankful years. our family grew on the foundation of those years.

Saturday services represent a lot to me.
The timing was right, the pieces came together. i give credit to the Holy Spirit for guiding it.

Nothing happens without the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
With the Holy Spirit, anything can happen. the Holy Spirit chooses the time+place.

[PastorRich]

**gaining ground in "looser" groups.

Haha, in looser groups. This just struck me funny...

[RZehr]

**gaining ground in "looser" groups.

Haha, in looser groups. This just struck me funny...

[steve-in-kville]

**gaining ground in "looser" groups.

Haha, in looser groups. This just struck me funny...

I get tired of hearing the word "liberal" like its a swear word or something