...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.

I miss our post-service brew and natter. Maybe I should suggest we bring our own to drink in the churchyard afterwards.

@lardylegs123

I'm not even religious and don't go to church, but even I think that's disrespectful, unnecessary and out of order!

Why though?

It seems to be widespread now! Adults imbibing everywhere! At the theatre near us ,people are only allowed cold drinks in case they spill a hot coffee on someone in the next row! I think the Vicar would be within his rights to stop this TBH. Surely there is tea and biscuits after the service anyway?

“ErrolTheDragon

You said it yourself, OP: you have your tea and coffee after the service

That's exactly what they were doing when you saw them. You've presented no evidence the flasks were used during the service.“

I have not rtfs but
I too thought you said you saw them with their coffee after the service. It is possible that if there is no longer formally arranged tea and coffee after the service - which was normal pre-covid- these women have arranged between themselves to bring it with them for afterwards.

What a thing to get all cats bum about . Maybe stop judging people?

If the whole point of going to church is to worship God then maybe what he thinks counts- and if Jesus helps us know what he thinks then Jesus actually organised a whole meal for people while they were listening to him, so I don't think he is going to begrudge someone a cuppa.

*cats bum mouth

@unsalted

My church has a coffee bar/ station type thing inside it. Someone is 'on duty' beforehand and actively encouraged to serve hot drinks to people that they then drink throughout the service.

I thought this was the norm now, but looking at the replies on this thread, it seems perhaps I'm in the minority!

Admittedly, my church is not particularly formal. I've often thought that it looks more like a modern coffee shop, all dark wood and exposed brickwork and shiny coffee makers. People freely wander round and dance at the back and stuff during the singing.

It is quite normal, don't worry. It's mostly the people who have never set foot in a church in their lives and are relying on Songs of Praise as their benchmark, that are talking rubbish on here.

My experience is similar to yours.

What is is the actual issue with it? What harm is it doing?

Not being facetious, I genuinely want to know. Is there something disgusting or rude about people drinking coffee? I've never thought about it before and I'm struggling to see the issue.

What a judgey, unpleasant thread. YABU.

I'm in the US, but this is very common. In fact I always stop at the Starbucks drive thru on the way! Though it is more than an hour, we get there at 9.30 and leave at 12.15ish. But it isn't one of those formal legalistic Churches, I regularly wear jeans!

I wouldn’t personally like coffee drinking in the middle of the service though, if that is what it was, and would choose a formal service over one where this is usual.

But my bet is they only started drinking it at the very end as they were coming out.

my name is Church
and wen its life
or wen the sun
is shiyning brite
and all the priests
are packing up---
I ope my lips
I sip my cup.

@StuffinThePuffin

What is is the actual issue with it? What harm is it doing?

Not being facetious, I genuinely want to know. Is there something disgusting or rude about people drinking coffee? I've never thought about it before and I'm struggling to see the issue.

I can only imagine if they are reaaaalllly noisy drinking it during the sermon the preacher might mind but other than that I don't get it either.

It’s become very normal in informal church settings to have drinks. Haven’t you seen the episode of Rev where the HTB-style church move in and set up a smoothie bar with bean bags?

@TellmewhoIam

my name is Church and wen its life or wen the sun is shiyning brite and all the priests are packing up--- I ope my lips I sip my cup.

*wen its lite

@tunnocksreturns2019

YABU. Maybe if more churches were less formal more people would go! There are lots of identified benefits like a better support network and less loneliness.

This in spades. I want to go but have put it off for years as I've always had a baby or a toddler. It would be nice to bring a babe in arms like marge Simpson but getting them to sit still for an hour and a half is hard. impossible. I have had a look at the local church services online (they moved online and post their Sunday service on YouTube for lockdown) and it is definitely what I've been missing. I won't go though because I'm afraid of being judged like this.

@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.

You would really begrudge someone sitting in q and e for hours a cup of coffee? Blimey.

@Ohpleasenotagain

I always found very difficult to understand and accept how so many people from the church community are so judgmental. It turned me away from church.

This is not people from the church community being judgmental. It's the complete opposite.

Have you actually read the Bible, OP? The New Testament is full of food and drink and shared meals. And a drink and a snack after the service was standard in every church I've ever been to pre-covid. These days I go to an online service, where lots of the congregation have a cup of tea on the go during the service. And it's a pretty formal church normally, with lots of lace and incense and kneeling in normal times.

@ErrolTheDragon

As they were drinking on the way home, that suggests they weren't actually slurping all the way through the service, which would be odd. Quite a lot of churches do - or did - tea and coffee afterwards which I'm guessing they can't now. Maybe bringing a flask for afterwards is just an alternative to that?

I came to say this. ^^

It was after church. No problem.

I read the title of the thread and thought it was a fabulous idea. Stop off at Starbucks on your way to church. Sip on a nice cappuccino whilst praying and getting some help from the pastor on getting right with God. Leave with a perk in your step.

What a good idea - I am going to suggest people start bringing their own coffee for when we stand around chatting in the church car park after the service. Since Jesus quite literally asked his followers to share meals together as part of their worship I'm confident God will not have a problem with this. But I guess we'll have to watch out for any random dog walkers that are mortally offended by the sight of Christians acting like normal adult humans.

@IJustLikeBiscuitsOK tell me more about this cup. I’ve been looking for a really good one…it will be really useful for the next time I go to church. I’ll make sure to hide it on my way in and out though so I’m not judged as an infantile-sippy-cup-holding-snack-addicted-heretic 🤣

Are you for real?! Church services often end with coffee and tea and a chat after, maybe to be Covid secure they are asking people to bring their own cups. Are you even a Church goer? Normally it's the ones in Church who are accuse of being judgy!