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2017-05-10 CC Packet
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2017-05-10 CC Packet
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Churches and families making Wednesdays the new Sunday - StarTri... http://www.startribune.com/for-many-overbooked-christian-families-... <br />Courting families <br />Churches began experimenting with Wednesdays about a decade ago. It has steadily <br />grown since then. <br />Pioneers included Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville — which now has two <br />Wednesday night services — and Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Plymouth. <br />"It's a different demographic," said Pete Erickson, Mount Olivet's faith formation <br />director. "Our trend on Sunday morning is younger families — preschool to about fourth <br />grade. On Wednesdays it's families with older children." <br />Mount Olivet's Wednesday worship, kicked off in 2007, exploded to become the church's <br />largest service with up to 300 people, he said. In recent years, attendance has leveled off <br />to about 150 to 170 people. Erickson attributes the drop to even more traveling sports <br />teams and school events. <br />Wednesday worship is not just an urban trend. The Detroit Lakes United Methodist <br />Church started a Wednesday service that was specifically "child -friendly," but also <br />appealed to hospital workers, shift workers and the many weekend travelers. It's been a <br />tremendous success. <br />"Me first night we had 90 people," said the Rev. Brenda North. "We figured we were on <br />to something." <br />Parents with shared custody of their children turned out to be among the regulars, said <br />North, as "it's hard to build a church habit if you have your child every other weekend." <br />The lure of the lakes, the North Shore and beyond remains an ongoing motivator for <br />midweek services. <br />"°This is Minnesota, land of 10,000 cabins," said the Rev. Karen Bruins, of the Well <br />Methodist churches in Rosemount and Apple Valley. "People start going to their cabins <br />in spring, and stay until fall." <br />Not a panacea <br />But clergy warn that simply opening the doors on Wednesdays won't start a stampede. <br />Church leaders need to figure out if it's a good match for members, and be willing to <br />shift the start time and other options as needed. <br />"You need to get a feel for the pulse of the community, and what fits into their lives," <br />said the Rev. Deb Stehlin, director for evangelical mission at the Minneapolis Area <br />Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. <br />Timing is also key. If the service is before 6 p.m., fewer people come, clergy said. If it is <br />launched for the summer, there could be even fewer. <br />The Rev. Stephanie Espinoza, for example, gave Wednesdays a try last summer at Cross <br />of Peace Lutheran Church in Shakopee. The service, she acknowledged, "wasn't super <br />attended." She's trying Monday this summer. <br />Bruins, meanwhile, discovered that a night of sitting didn't mesh with energy levels of <br />younger kids. Now the church plans to restructure Wednesdays, she said, to be "more <br />creative, more interactive, more active, given that they've been in school all day." <br />Some folks question whether the Sabbath — which the Bible says is "the seventh day of <br />the week" — can even be celebrated on a Wednesday. Clergy insist it can be. Said North: <br />"Worshiping cod can happen any day of the week." <br />The trend is no surprise to the Rev. Dawn Alitz, director of lifelong learning programs at <br />Luther Seminary in St. Paul. <br />In fact, the seminary is offering a summer session entitled "Rethinking Sunday Morning," <br />she said. The message: "God may be working more than just on Sunday mornings." <br />2 of 3 85 4/26/17, 4:03 Pr <br />
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