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Churches and families making Wednesdays the new Sunday - StarTri... http://www.starttibune.com/for-many-overbooked-christian-families-...
<br />VARIETY
<br />For many overbooked Christian families,
<br />Wednesday is the new Sunday
<br />As churches across Minnesota try new ways to accommodate the
<br />hectic lives of the faithful, Wednesday night services have emerged
<br />as a popular option.
<br />By Jean Hopfensperger Star Tribune , APRIL 26, 2017 — 10:52AM
<br />Each Wednesday, the Latzke family heads to their Bloomington church for an evening of
<br />religious education and a worship service. Sunday is too packed to squeeze in church, so
<br />now Wednesday is their day — as it is for thousands of busy Minnesotans.
<br />"Wednesday is the new Sunday," is what some clergy call this trend reflecting the
<br />scheduling quirks of modern families.
<br />'This works really nice for us because we're so busy on weekends," said Robyn Latzke
<br />shortly before the service at Transfiguration Lutheran Church. "She dances, and she
<br />plays volleyball," Latzke said, pointing to her daughters.
<br />"And I farm on weekends with my brother," added her husband, Jeff Latzke.
<br />As churches across Minnesota try new ways to accommodate the hectic lives of the
<br />faithful, Wednesday night services have emerged as a popular option.
<br />For churches that already offered religious education on Wednesdays, adding a worship
<br />service was a logical fit. For others, a Wednesday service helps folks who travel on
<br />weekends, hold down jobs, or schlep children to hockey, soccer and other events.
<br />"The on -demand culture has affected church people as much as society," said Scott
<br />Thumma, director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
<br />Keeping folks in regular attendance is critical, as irregular churchgoing often fizzles into
<br />no churchgoing, Thumma said. Mainline Protestants, those most avidly embracing
<br />Wednesdays, have seen a steady decline in attendance. Median weekend attendance at
<br />U.S. churches, for example, dropped from 129 people to 80 from 2005 to 2015, according
<br />to the institute. The study advised: `To grow, distinguish yourself from other
<br />congregations."
<br />Food and faith
<br />Wednesday nights at Transfiguration are much like those at other churches, starting
<br />with a meal, then worship, then religious education. Sue O'Reilly is among the regulars.
<br />The nurse was among those seated at tables in the social hall, enjoying lasagna and a
<br />salad.
<br />"I'm a busy weekender, going to the cabin, sometimes working," said O'Reilly. "Coming
<br />on Wednesday, I get a full church service.
<br />"If I had a bad day at work, I like to come here," she added. "It just kind of settles you."
<br />The Rev. Ed Treat said the church was targeting adults like O'Reilly as well as teens
<br />when it began the Wednesday "Oasis" in 2015.
<br />"We were trying to solve the problem of getting kids to church on a Sunday morning,"
<br />said Treat. "We were teaching them confirmation, but they never came to worship."
<br />The service now is one of the most popular, he said.
<br />"People are starting to see it as their own service," Treat said.
<br />Abby Titus, a seventh -grader sitting with O'Reilly, appreciates the night. Said Titus: "It's
<br />kind of like a break from sports and homework and from the rest of the world."
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<br />CARLOS GONZALEZ - STAR TRIBUNE
<br />Laura Landini,14, received communion at
<br />Transfiguration Lutheran Church in Bloomington
<br />during a Wednesday service.
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