...to think that bringing your morning coffee to church is a bit inappropriate?

[NannyPlumsSnarkyWand]

I'm pretty sure I'm just being a judgy old gimmer - thought a Sunday morning AIBU thrashing would be in order.

Just passed a group of school mums as they were coming back from church. They were all carrying portable coffee flasks and sipping from them.

I mean, yes I understand the need for coffee in the morning, but part of me thought - is there really such a pressing need to bring your coffee to a formal church service? Can you really not go a whole hour (less actually) without coffee? And then there's something just a bit odd about it. You're going to church, not the theatre, I don't know - my experience of church services is formal. It would have been seen as inappropriate to bring coffee - you have your tea and coffee after the service - but then as I say, maybe I'm just an old gimmer. Is this normal at church now?

So just to caveat this - no, it doesn't occupy a great deal of my thoughts; yes, I do have other more important things to worry about; yes I do have friends; no, I'm not judging their worth as people based on whether they drink coffee during the service or not, I just had a passing thought and wondered what others thought.

Unless they were eating a stinky kebab, or tucking into a full McDonald's, washed down with a bottle of vodka, I do think you're being unreasonable.
Churches are rarely packed to the rafters & should be welcoming.
At least the caffeine might help them to stay awake.

@ScottishNewbie Never heard 'My clothes were too hot' and 'I was always hungry' as an excuse for not going to church. Lots of churches work hard to be less formal and more welcoming. No, we can't serve refreshments after services like we used to since lockdown and no, fasting before communion is not obligatory. I used to take a drink and a snack for the children but generally speaking adults survive an hour without a coffee when the need arises. I suspect that these ladies had filled their cups on the way home.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Considering the alarmingly low levels of attendance these days, I suspect many vicars would let you into their church with a full picnic.

YABU. Our church has suspended refreshments after the service due to the pandemic so it's byo. I don't see the problem. I usually take a thermal mug, drink a bit before the service starts then finish it off afterwards when (socially-distanced) chatting, as we used to do.

Although actually I tend to attend the service online either on the treadmill or in the bath 😂

@ColdTattyWaitingForSummer

Our church has a real community feel. We encourage people to be comfortable and (pre Covid) provided tea and coffee not just for after the service, but before and during as well. One Sunday a month bacon rolls were provided as well! As our minister pointed out, the early church met over food and drinks (“breaking bread” is not merely an analogy). He likes to use the metaphor of a family gathering, rather than a stuffy formal service. At a time when church attendance is on the decline, our membership is on the rise! So in our church, the ladies you saw would be perfectly reasonable, although I recognise not all are the same.

@ColdTattyWaitingForSummer

It's our AGM next week, I may have to bring up the subject of bacon sarnies

@myfifyhun

Well, I couldn't use it as an excuse because I was forced to go twice a week by my parents. But yes, as a child and teenager it was hot in the middle of summer. And yes I did get hungry and thirsty.
To be honest that put me off the whole thing.

But luckily I don't need an excuse, as an adult I don't have to participate anymore so it's irrelevant now.

@GoldenOmber

Yeah, I’d assume that they’d got coffees on the way home. If they were actually drinking coffee all the way through the service through then YANBU.

That would be my assumption, as well. I used to stop for coffee following services, and often walked home with a travel cup. Wonder how many people were judging me, not knowing the circumstances?

Ours used to serve bacon rolls and tea/coffee before the service too @ColdTattyWaitingForSummer. Then tea and coffee with biscuits afterwards. It was lovely - a chance to have a chat with people you never spoke to usually.

I think it is poor form.

However, churches have declining attendance and just don’t command the respect they used to. If they want bums on seats they need to cater to their “customers.”

Worse things gone on in Churches.

I guess the less formal churches are, the more chance of saving dwindling numbers. The "young" ones will be the majority soon enough.
I'm not close enough to him to know if God minds you sipping in a pew. I'd hope not.

@QuornSausagesAreTheDevilsPenis you really should! I find the best fellowship happens when you feed people

Would you take a cup of coffee into the interview room.
I think its disrespectful to be honest.
I'm of the older generation

So we are saying it's ok for wine but not coffee?

Would you take a cup of coffee into the interview room.

Is God sizing you up for a job or welcoming you to a precious family gathering?

Normally in my church we provide coffee after the service. But due to COVID, we can’t at the moment. Perfectly ok for people to bring their own and drink outside church afterwards!

@Palaver1

Would you take a cup of coffee into the interview room. I think its disrespectful to be honest. I'm of the older generation

I used to recruit for back office functions across a variety of levels for a big retail organisation and if someone hadn't brought a coffee or bottle of water with them I would offer them a hot drink at the start of the interview. I think it's good manners.

Our church ha a cafe that sells coffee before the service (and food!)
All proceeds go the mission work we do.
I don’t usually buy anything but my DH likes a flat white
Love my church!

I don't think God would care less tbf...and he's the boss.

They should ask him.
If he's offended, he'll let them know.

Maybe they had them in their bags ready for the walk home and didn't get them out in church

I have attended formal communion service gently dropping bits of plant having recently crawled out of a bush... gardening in the church garden literally crawled out of a hedge backwards... a hedge that was particularly good at shedding little sticky bits of dried leaves that would not come off when I was outside but had no such problem inside. Going to church is about relationship with our loving Father and his son, and not putting barriers in the way. given that the teaching of the church are that this sone of God died to make the way open to relationship with this loving father, I doubt a cup of coffee or two will get in the way. It is this God that portrayed himself as waiting for his wayward son who had wished his father would hurry up and die so he could have his inheritance, then blown it on partying... and when this son came crawling back, hungry, mucky and destitute, the Father threw dignity aside and ran to greet him.

I doubt this Father is going to be worried about a cup of coffee...

My kids are in the church choir and as such I need to drop them there 45 minutes before the start of service (well until recently when choir covid regs changed but that's a whole other thing), I'd often take a coffee with me to drink between getting them there and service starting, once service started it would be stashed under my chair and not touched again until after when I'd drink it outside whilst chatting to others.

These ladies probably aren't drinking it during the actual service.
I sometimes take a picnic for the park after, that doesn't mean I'm eating an egg salad sandwich during the service 🙃

Clearly their God of choice and weekly dose of worship doesn’t give them the buzz they need to be good Christians