Christmas will be a day off for some big local churches

(I swear, this is not The Onion)
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Several influential megachurches in South Florida will not hold services this Christmas, which falls on a Sunday, to allow their staff to spend the day at home.

BY ALEXANDRA ALTER

On a typical weekend, Calvary Chapel in Fort Lauderdale draws 22,000 worshipers to its services. But this year, the church won't hold services on Christmas Day -- even though the holiday that commemorates the birth of Jesus falls on Sunday morning.

Calvary is one of a handful of large, evangelical churches around the country and in South Florida -- including Christ Fellowship, Flamingo Road Church and Christ the Rock Community Church -- that have canceled their Sunday services this Christmas.

Church leaders say they are holding Christmas Eve services and want to allow staff members and volunteers to spend the day at home with their families.

''I really don't think it matters to God,'' said the Rev. Bob Coy, senior pastor at Calvary Chapel. ``I don't know that God would require us to go twice in one weekend just because it falls on a particular calendar day.''
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more: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13373436.htm

Irony lives on.

"Megachurches may also have financial reasons for canceling Christmas services. The cost of holding large services, which require elaborate lighting, music and staffing, might outweigh the benefits on a day when attendance will be sparse, Thumma said."

:puke:

War on Christmas my ass.

Yeah, riiight.

God doesn't care if celebrating Christmas in church is too inconvenient and you'd rather stay home.

But God DOES care if commercial retailers say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" when trying to persuade you to buy worldly goods.

Where else should you be on Christmas Day if you are a Christian? If this church and others like it truly consider Christmas Day to be holy, their doors would be open. So much for putting Christ back in Christmas!!!

Send this to O'Liely!!!!

:grr: :grr: :grr:

After all, God doesn't really care, as the guy quoted in the article said.

:thumbsup:

My experience is that in mainline Protestant churches, Christmas Eve is a much bigger service than Christmas Day.

The funny thing here isn't their acknowledgment that attendance will be low on Christmas, it's that they're breaking with centuries of their religion's tradition just for the convenience of the "staff." Supposedly their savior rose from the dead on a Sunday, but I guess the staff's needs outweigh the importance of commemorating that.

These people crack me up.

That gives them 23 more hours to spend with their families.That is just odd.I know people who only go to church on Xmas.

Catholic services can go multiple hours depending on how much ceremony the priest wants to do. It can be anywhere from 1-4 hours.

(As the Catholics of the US spontaneously combust as they read this story.)

Don't go to Christmas service because it's on a Sunday???

I need like a mental meltdown smiley.

You'd think since Christmas and Sunday happen to be the same day, that they'd be planning for a full house.

I really don't get it.

are called CHRISTIAN because they were instituted by CHRIST... and, isn't that a way of secularizing religion? I mean, think about it. The birth of Christ, if not for anything else, for that alone, people should be congregating in their churches to celebrate the birth of the son of GOD who took human form because He so loved the world. I mean... do people not go to celebrate birthdays at the homes and with the person whose birthday it is? Now, do you at large want to secularize a religion which is not really christian... well, then, just go ahead, stay away from church, open prsents, show some narcissism, bathe in some selfishness and claim megaphonously that, "I am a Christian".

It was reported in the paper this week that many people prefer Christmas Eve services and few attend on Christmas Day, even if it falls on Sunday. The church people said it is what people want. I don't believe that includes the Catholic Churches. As if.

What a sorry commentary on all these "pious Christians". They get all snarky and mean mouthed about someone saying happy Holidays and they can't even be bothered to go to church on Christmas Day, even if it's on a Sunday. :eyes:


Huh, snarky isn't in the spell check.

That should definitely be in spell check. :)

I still can't wrap my head around this. No church on Christmas Day on Sunday. Sheer madness. It's why I tell these people they ran me out of church in the first place.