Skipping Church on Sunday

I skipped church Sunday.  I didn't even try to wake up for it.  If you ask me for a bulletin to prove I was there, I have nothing to show.

That's because I did go to church Saturday night.  Up until a few weeks ago, I had never done this, but I've done it every week since.  It wasn't an easy thing to do at first. The thought of sleeping in on Sunday made me feel a little uneasy and probably a touch guilty.

My Saturday experiences have been in many ways much different than the typical Sunday ones.  Saturday night is a much more intimate service.  There are probably 300 people, compared to around 2,000 on Sundays.  The sanctuary is portioned off to make sure people are sitting in the center sections so it doesn't feel too spread out.  Instead of being on the stage, our pastor preaches on the floor at the same level as the seats.  After the service, sometimes there's food as a way way for people to linger and hang out.  Other times, there's an additional 30 minute class. (This week it was about communication.)

Yet the thing that I thought would be missing the most, was still there.  There's a certain buzz around our church on Sunday mornings.  When my dad visited the church, the first thing he said was, "This place feels alive."  I can only believe that aliveness is the Holy Spirit.  And while the crowds are smaller on Saturday the aliveness is still there.  I shouldn't be surprised.  After all where two or more is gathered, God is there.

What are your thoughts?  Have you done the Saturday night thing?  Does it matter what day of the week you go to church as long as you're setting aside time to corporately worship God?

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Comments (14)

I do think it is important to worship on what is traditionally known as the Lord's Day - Sunday. However, drawing on our Jewish roots, the Sabbath begins on the evening prior to Sunday - so from that perspective, worshiping Saturday evening IS worshiping on the Lord's Day. I would say that this practice is perfectly fine, so long as it does not take away from your full involvement in the church community, and so long as it is not because you are approaching worship from a lazy, duty-driven, "just getting it out of the way so I can maximize my weekend" attitude.
My wife and I have been doing the Saturday night thing for awhile now. Our church started Saturday night services out of necessity based on growth and space limitations. It does not matter to me whether we are there on Saturday night or Sunday morning, as long as we worship the Lord in spirit and truth.

This last weekend, we just attended the last Saturday night service in our old building, and will be going to only Sunday services in a few weeks in our new building. I will miss the Saturday night option, although, as someone who serves regularly in the church, it is tougher to get volunteers for positions that require the volunteer to be at church for all of the services, since it requires most of your weekend.
This is actually something I've been thinking alot about recently. If a non believer is going to attend a church service it will probably be a Sunday morning one. Therefore if a church is reaching it's critical mass (80% full on a Sunday morning) having a second Saturday night service for regular attenders to go to would be a great option. Since I'm not a morning person in any way shape or form, I would usually rather go to church in the evening. However, it really hasn't caught on as an option in my city, yet. And to specifically answer your question, I don't think it matters when we worship corporately, just that we do it!
An everyday affair in that we should be doing something everyday to connect with what the Lord wants us to do. I have not done the Saturday night thing, but think that it would be fun as change sometimes brings us closer to the one we want to be close to in the first place. When you said skipping out on Sunday service I thought about not going at all to our church, but if like most of us, we go where ever we are. I go to church wheather I'm home or away and in all cases I feel welcome where ever I go. I will however try this Saturday night service when it comes up. Thank you in God's Grace John
Saturday or Sunday is fine with me. I used to attend the Saturday evening service in my church. There was a smaller crowd of about 350 people compared to 1400 on Sunday mornings. This made it easier to find parking and was less stressful. :-)

Now, I'm back to Sunday morning service now after attending a Bible Class that was only offered on Sunday mornings, before the service starts. After the class ended, I just continued going for the Sunday morning service instead of going back to the Saturday evening service.
My local RC church has an increasing Saturday night congregation for Mass; many of whom would previously have attended Sun morning: whether that is an attempt to take advantage of what is increasingly a secular/shopping day, I don't know. My own church (Anglican) is limited to 2 Sun morning services - about 20 at the 8 am and 100 at the 1045 am, so no chance of flowing into other days at present. A Free Methodist in the local town (Solihull) draws 600+ to a Ministry of Power service on Tuesdays....so there is scope for diversity in days and style should you feel inclined.
I have seen the Saturday service work in some churches, but it is not for every congregation. Currently, I am dialoguing with the leadership of a church about the possibility of having a more contemporary service on Saturday nights as they are questioning their current model of having a youth service running concurrently with their more traditional one. The biggest thing I think they need to ask is if this is what the Lord really wants for them. Going a new direction is fine when God is the leader. Unfortunately, we often make decisions based on what seems logical rather than taking the time to truly seek His will.
In a world of rotating plant shifts, the hospitality industry, the medical community and longer retail hours, there are people out there who can't get to ANY weekend service.

I'd like to see some of those buildings in use more during the weekdays. Weekday mornings, afternoons and evenings.

The problem some churches have had with this is that the same people show up for everything; feeling they have to attend every function every time the doors are open. But for others, this would meet a definite need. Ditto those whose circumstances compel them to be at "Church A," when they really like connecting with events at "Church B."
"Does it matter what day of the week you go to church as long as you’re setting aside time to corporately worship God?"
i believe the choice, in humble obedience to the Holy Spirit's leading, that we can worship corporately any day of the week is a great expression of our freedom in Christ. we should also consider the changing lifestyles and work hours that many people are in that prevents them from attending traditionally scheduled services on Sundays. specifically here in the Philippines, where the call centers and business processing outsourcing companies have 24/7 shifts.

Jesus attacked the pharisaic way of legalism that pervaded the Sabbath and i think this type of attitude is what should be most wary about.

thanks
I hope you are not surprised that the Holy Spirit could meet with a congregation of 300 with as much power as a congregation of 2000... otherwise most churches are in trouble as 300 is a decent mid-sized church in many places!

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