...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.

[MyrtlethePurpleTurtle]

@Crockof

It does my fucking head it. It appears that adults now are incapable of doing anything without a Cup of coffee glued to their mouth like some weird dummy/comforter. Now you've noticed it is will give you the minor rage everywhere you go. And don't get me fucking started on A&E where we all need to wear masks apart from when 'sipping ' (god awful word) coffee from the bloody overpriced Costa machine.

No wonder we have an obesity crisis with all the constant snacking and drinking

[Confuzzled12345]

Do this in memory of me springs to mind 🤔☕🍷

[PurpleyBlue]

I don't think God would mind

[Jellybabiesforbreakfast]

They're only going to church to get their child into a school, and have no idea what normal church behaviour is.

Why is this a bad thing? Around here, this is what responsible parents (mostly the mums) do. The alternative is a worse school miles away and a commute every morning through urban traffic.

[FortunesFave]

They were all carrying portable coffee flasks and sipping from them.

They were DRINKING it. Surely? When I hear the word 'sip' I get so irritated for some reason. A sip is a really short drink. I imagine this group of mothers sip, sip-sipping along and want to knock them all out.

[Letsgetreadytocrumble]

@Crockof

I suppose Jesus would just be glad that they'd turned up

More likely Jesus knows the real reason they are there to work the school system

Haha, this was exactly my thought!

[Enjoyingmyciffee]

Not a church goer.
Imagine the vicar just wants bums on seats.

[AutoGroup]

Surel they're just doing an outdoor version of the social tea and biscuits after church that they would have done before Covid. Not having coffee in church.

[MyrtlethePurpleTurtle]

@Crockof

I suppose Jesus would just be glad that they'd turned up

More likely Jesus knows the real reason they are there to work the school system

😂

[PurpleyBlue]

@RandomLondoner

They're only going to church to get their child into a school, and have no idea what normal church behaviour is. I've seldom been to church in my adult life, but the one time I went, I vaguely recall it being explained how to behave, because a lot of people attending didn't know. (Attendance at the church could give access to the best state primary school in a London borough.)

You have no idea why they go to church. It is between them and their Lord.

[mam0918]

@iklboo

They're only going to church to get their child into a school, and have no idea what normal church behaviour is.

Know them personally do you?

You dont have to go to church to get your kids into school.

My kids go to a religeous school with its own church, its a completely different religeon to me (there are no schools in my religeon in this area) and I attend the church of another denomination in another town and DH is agnostic.

I have zero urge to sit through the mass of a religeon I dont follow and the school dont care at all.

[GoldenOmber]

@FortunesFave

They were all carrying portable coffee flasks and sipping from them.

They were DRINKING it. Surely? When I hear the word 'sip' I get so irritated for some reason. A sip is a really short drink. I imagine this group of mothers sip, sip-sipping along and want to knock them all out.

That’s a bit extreme!

Presumably if they were ‘sipping’, it’s because coffee is really hot so you can’t drink it like you would water?

[AutoGroup]

They'd probably planned an outdoor social coffee after church but because of the rain are doing it whilst walking.

[NakedAttraction]

I guess I'm also querying this need for some people to take coffee in a cup everywhere, even if you're only out of the house for an hour.

Because I don’t drink coffee at home. Any drink at home is far from relaxing with two small children around. I have one coffee a day that I buy from a coffee shop. If I’m only having one I want it to be good. I’ll usually drink it on a walk or when walking to/from somewhere.

So this isn’t me not being able to go an hour without coffee. This is me having waited hours for my coffee!

[sar302]

I went to a performance at the royal Albert hall once. No drinks or snacks allowed during the performance. There was a group of nuns sitting down the aisle from us, who had smuggled food and drink in in their habits. I'm sure Jesus forgives all!

[PhilCornwall1]

As the church is trying to modernise, maybe the one they were attending has converted the vestry into a Costa or Starbucks.

[newnortherner111]

If it is after the service then I see nothing wrong with it, and possibly the church hall is closed currently, if there is one.

I do think though that some people use a coffee cup whilst walking almost as some form of emotional support.

[MrsTulipTattsyrup]

I think if god was offended by what they did that he’d probably start smiting coffee drinkers. By their Orla Keily reusable cups shall ye know them. Really, if you believe he’s all powerful, I’d trust him to make his feelings known. He’s not usually backwards about coming forwards. I mean, he’s happy to kill all those evil babies by giving them malaria. The British middle classes would be no challenge.

[Jellybabiesforbreakfast]

You dont have to go to church to get your kids into school.

Round here, it's either go to church or live on the school doorstep (or go private). Catchment areas for open places (non-religious) are a few hundred metres and some years almost all the open places go to siblings.

[Oldraver]

I just dont get the constant need to carry around coffee anyway and think it strange

Thank fuck Waitrose stopped the free coffee thing as you would get twats with coffee in one hand trying to steer a trolley and then be amazed they didnt have a spare hand to get stuff off the shelf. More than once I've had to dodge an 'about to spill' cup of coffee

[3WildOnes]

My church has a community cafe. People often grad a bacon sandwich and coffee before the service and you often see people finishing their coffees during the service. Tea and coffee after the service too and lots of people bring a reusable coffee cup as good for the environment. My church is very open and and not that formal though.

[CharityDingle]

@AutoGroup

Surel they're just doing an outdoor version of the social tea and biscuits after church that they would have done before Covid. Not having coffee in church.

That would be my conclusion too. Just a bit of sociable coffee drinking after the service. We have all had such a crap year, it's nice to get out meeting others too.

On the subject of constant eating, I would ban it in theatres, if I could. I was at a play, two years ago in the West End, where a couple near me, crunched crisps loudly through the most dramatic parts, especially towards the end.

[ErrolTheDragon]

You dont have to go to church to get your kids into school.

Some people do, if their local school is an oversubscribed 'faith school'. You don't need to go to church to get them into undersubscribed faith schools.
I live in an area with a considerable excess of faith schools in proportion to the number of people who'd normally go to church. If you want choice you have to trot along.

[BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou]

They're only going to church to get their child into a school, and have no idea what normal church behaviour is.

Most churchgoers go to church because of their faith NOT to get their children into school. Yes my children did go to the Catholic primary school but I’ve been attending the same church for nearly 40 years and my “children” are now old enough to buy alcohol so I’m certainly not still trying to get them into school.

[TellmewhoIam]

I thought of doing this yesterday 😳 I had fasted before and was going for a walk afterwards and it would have been nice to have a coffee on the walk, without paying over the odds and creating plastic litter. I'll probably do this next time.