Easy Like Sunday Morning.

Here at CTK Durango, we have our worship service on Sunday night. We meet at 6pm. At first, this was just a logistical issue. We wanted to visit other churches, we had dinner together (when we were small enough to fit around my dining room table), and we wanted to get to know the town. I guess we always thought we would eventually transition to Sunday mornings, but I'm starting to wonder if that ever needs to happen. Durango is an active town, to say the least. By meeting on Sunday evenings, we make ourselves that much more accessible to the people who live here. I've also noticed that, by meeting in the evening, there is a very relaxed and laid back feel to our meetings and worship. People seem to be in a restful mood. They're not in a hurry to get home and watch a football game or eat lunch. My favorite thing about meeting on Sunday nights, though, is personal. I've always struggled with the idea of the Sabbath. I've never understood why it seemed that only people who were not pastors or church staff were allowed to rest on God's day. I've always thought the leadership of a church community should model the life they expect their congregation to live. Our habits of worship on Sunday night allow me to slow my pace on Sunday. I can eat breakfast with my kids, clean the house, go outside and do something. I'm not stressed and out of the house by 7am and barely getting home at 2pm only to crash out after kicking the dog and reviewing all the things I could have done differently that morning. Instead, when I get to the worship meeting, I'm relaxed and ready to go. I'm excited to see my friends. I can preach with a cup of tea in my hand and it feels more like a conversation than a sermon.

I don't know that every congregation could operate this way--I'm certainly not saying they should. But...for us, I have to say this way of doing church is downright heavenly! Bring on the Sabbath!!!