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