to be amazed at people going to church

[Hullygully]

I really didn't think anyone still did the whole church on Sunday thing (this is not meant rudely, am just genuinely amazed).

Why do you go?

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover?

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers?

Do you have roast dinner after?

Where do you live?

Many people inc. one in my family go to get their kids into a school. Now yougest has got a place in the right school, they're still going because it's 'nice' for the children. They also have a sunday roast after because that's nice too.

loads of people go to church here (N.I)
It is incredibly common.
Not me though I'm a heathen.

Lots of our friends go to Church, I sort of presume everyone goes to church on Sunday's unless they tell me otherwise.

Why do you go?
I always have. I was brought up going to church every Sunday so it seems normal. I haven't been for a few weeks because I've been angry at God but I find I'm missing it and want to go back. I stopped going for a while when i was travelling but as soon as I had a problem I would look up a church to go to.

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover?
Nope. I was a single parent for years and didn't have ready babysitters so I got out of the habit of going out at the weekend. i don't really miss it, I'm happy to stay in with a takeaway.

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers?
My lie in is Saturday, dp has his lie in on the Sunday. I get up and take the kids to church. I also don't read any papers unless you count the church newsletter

Do you have roast dinner after?
No. It seems like a lot of hassle and expense to do a roast seeing as my family don't really like it. We prefer a lasagne or a risotto, so that's what we have.

Where do you live?
Cumbria

Why do you go? Because I am an active member of my church, believe in God and Jesus, and it's an important part of my week, when I get recharged, renew my baptismal promises and it reaffirms my faith and strengthens my resolve to live a better life. I enjoy it, and teach one of the Sunday school classes. Meet other like-minded people.

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover? Nope. I don't drink. I often stay up late (sometimes go out but sadly rarely dancing!) and feel tired the next morning though! I don't think I miss much by not getting hammered regularly and have plenty of other opportunities to socialise. When I was a student I would be out dancing with friends til the wee hours and still manage to make the 10am service. (I ran the nursery at church back then!)

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers? With young kids, a lie-in was never going to happen realistically! Can sometimes do that on a Saturday if DH is feeling more alert than I am when the DC wake up.

Do you have roast dinner after? When we feel like it - usually postpone our main meal til the evening, and have something quick straight after church as we meet from 10am to 1pm.

Where do you live? East Midlands.

well, I used to go to the 6pm service, which allowed for hangover lie ins and/or long lazy breakfasts and reading the sunday papers, and then I had DS.

Now, in order to be at the 9:15am service, I have to leave my house at 9am. As I have a toddler who is considers 6am a lie in, this proves no problem. And DS loves church. DS doesn't love us reading papers so if we miss church, he expects to be entertained.

As to why I go, because I'm a Christian. We do sometimes have roasts afterwards (are back home for 10:30am at latest, so plently of time to cook) but often DH is out on his bike (he doesn't come to church) so we do the roast for dinner rather than lunch anyway most Sundays.

We live in Kent. Our church now has 2 morning and 1 evening service on a Sunday at the Church, and 1 morning and 1 afternoon service at the school it's linked too due to demand - the 9:15am service is normally busy but not too bad, the 11am service is often full with adults having to have DCs on their knees as they've run out of chairs.

I've gone since I was 3 (19 now). I'm an alter server. I love the companionship and the peace it gives me.

Honestly I'm a little peeved at this; do you readily accept Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism etc are flourishing, but completely disregard the religion this country was effectively built on?

No Bubble, this thread arose from another, that's all. It's not supposed to be specifically any religion!

Ah ok, fair enough. I'll go back under my lurking rock now :)

Why do you go? I am a christian. And I like it. And I like the fact that my children get looked after and taught wholesome things by devoted ladies for half an hour so I can improve my mind and spirit.

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover? Dancing no, but yes I often have a hangover. I certainly will this Sunday morning. There is a HUGE amount of drinking in the CofE, it's one of the benefits. I am going to a party on Sunday night being held by a vicar (after evensong, natch), and the local wine merchants will be rubbing their hands in glee.

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers? I lie in on Saturdays, DH has Sundays as he doesn't often go to church.

Do you have roast dinner after? Sometimes a roast lunch but we quite often go out.

Where do you live? East Midlands.

The church is the heart of our village, its what the whole community is centred around. Without the church there would be no mother&baby group, no coffee morning.

Hangover on a Sunday morning = waste of a Sunday morning.

Love the feeling of calm of a church service and the wide variety of people I meet there (when I manage to go when I'm not ferrying boys to football matches).

I know Absy, but you're like Yentl innit?

Practically.

If you put Babs Streisand and I next to each other, you couldn't tell the two of us apart, bar the MASSIVE age difference.

It's not that massive. Since when was five years considered massive?

Try THIRTY NINE years

DH goes every Sunday, but that is a Catholic thing. When we first got together I used to go with him, but stopped.

When we went on holiday in the early days of our relationship, we used to go to church and had some fabulous experiences, in Ireland, Spain, Greece, South Africa etc. A really good way of finding out about a community is by attending the local church.

I do have a fondness for Greek Orthodox, I like that every church has a saint and a saint's day and every saint is for a different difficulty or illness because it's just the same as the old Greek gods but a bit plastered over.

My favourite is Marina who holds a little black devil by the horns.

And the inside of forrin churches are beautiful. And cool.

I like church architecture. The churches on the Romney marshes are lovely, all wood and white and remote.

Hullygully, have you never lived in a village?

1. Because we?re Christians
2. Behave ? we?re a wee bit old for clubbing! Besides which, being drunk isn?t very compatible with what the Bible teaches.
3. Nope - we have all week to consume media, and again it?s not very compatible with the Bible?s teaching.
4. Sometimes, more often we have leftover takeaway.
5. We are in Central Scotland

HTH :)

YABU!

But for the sake of your market research I will also add my own answers:

Why do you go?
Because I like it and it makes me feel good (and I am a Christian, and what Provincial said about devoted ladies teaching the kids wholesome things)

Don't you go out dancing and drinking on Sat and have a terrible hangover?
Not usually on a Saturday, no. Sometimes on a Friday and sometimes have a few too many drinks at home. I go to a late service for the drinkers though.

Or don't you want to have a lie-in with the papers?
Not much chance of that with 3 small kids, but anyway, we do laze around for an hour or two before rushing out of the door to get there just on time.

Do you have roast dinner after?
No. We have sandwiches and go in the garden, or to meet friends

Where do you live?
SE

HTH. I am off to read the results of this impromptu survey in full now!

Yes, I go weekly if we're home, with DCs (1 and 9). I go because I believe in God and appreciate the reflective time (ok, less so now 1 year old is in tow), the community, the kind people who care how you are and ask, the uplifting music. Tbh it's often the nicest time in my week.

Yes, we often have a roast afterwards -DH doesn't usually come and so we return home to his Yorkshires.

We live in the North West. And not in the 1950s

It is a regular CofE church and you might be surprised at the number of perfectly normal families/ couples/ individuals in their 20a, 30s and 40s who go regularly. Probably several of your friends go and just don't mention it to non-Christian friends.