AIBU to want church to keep its music inside?

[Mylobsterteapot]

I live next door to a newly established church. It wasn’t there when I moved in. They play loud, awful “music” multiple times a week. It’s not nice old hymns but crappy Jesus themed pop music, played badly by a band and sung poorly.

Today they have all their doors and windows open and the music is so loud. I’m trying to work, someone else is trying to sleep after a night shift, and everyone else just wants to enjoy their Sunday morning in peace.

WIBU to go round and ask them to shut the doors and windows to keep the music inside? Mine are all closed. I’m sure God will still hear them, but we won’t!

The service next to me went on from 2-4.30 this afternoon. There's still a car parked across the path to my front gate. And they've moved to the park next door with their bloody speakers, it's even louder now!
I'd be pissed off whoever it was, but it does seem especially rich to have to put up with excessive noise, on a sunday, when it's worship songs! It's giving me a headache.

This.
If no joy then speak to Environmental Health - presumably you cannot just set up a noisy church wherever you like and there will be legislation/guidance to cover this.

Blimey, are you in my street?! Same thing exactly, I’m making a complaint today to Environmental Health. It’s ridiculous and I think there are possibly only a few people in there. The impact is outrageous. There’s a real church one house down, I can barely hear them.

I’m very tempted to pop in next week when they start up.

This sort of post really annoys me. The smug assumption that you know what other people would think or do.

I sympathise with the night worker trying to sleep. Hope they got some sleep

Not so much if you are WFH....

I used to live behind a high street and there was a 'church' above the shops directly in front of us. They played loud music just like yours, at all hours (3am...). I actually quite liked the music, but not all the time.
We tried speaking with them and they were very friendly (even giving us fruit basket gifts) but didn't change anything.
Eventually got the council's noise team round and they served them notice. They invested in proper sound insulation, kept the windows closed, and it was fine, could hardly hear anything.
Shortly after the space turned into flats instead (they didn't have a license for the 'church' in the first place).

personally i prefer church bells, but this would be good too.

What?

I'm a Christian. If our church were causing people distress, I'd want to know.

Obviously it isn't reasonable to expect complete quiet in the day from everyone else, even after a traumatic nightshift. But this sounds much too loud.

I'd encourage you to speak to them and let them know how loud it is. If they don't immediately agree to turn it down, ask if someone can come to your flat during one of the songs and hear just how loud it is with the windows open.

Singing with the windows open on a hot day seems reasonable. Having the mics/sounds system blasting out top volume is not.

Update and answers!

Yes, I would feel exactly the same if the music was coming from a mosque, temple, synagogue or any other place of worship. I lived with the call to prayer for a while in a Muslim country. I quite liked that, as it is A) Tuneful and B) brief! This is neither. I’m not sure congregational singing is part of many religions other than Christianity.

It’s not lovely old hymns, it’s like bad cheesy pop with added Jesus.

It went on for aaages. And there’s at least two mid week services.

Nightshift worker swapped rooms and managed to get a bit more sleep. I packed up and went to the library to work.

I went round and asked them to close the doors/windows and turn the volume down. They said it was too hot for that. Didn’t care a jot.

If they won't turn it down to a reasonable level you could play heavy metal loudly during their songs.........

Showing their true Christian virtues then!

I went round and asked them to close the doors/windows and turn the volume down. They said it was too hot for that. Didn’t care a jot

Sadly I expected nothing else; if they were considerate people it's unlikely they'd have been behaving as they are in the first place

What a fucking stupid question.

Without a doubt I would complain to anyone making unsocial noise.

Twat.

Such a shame that they aren't listening- you could contact the Diocece office for your area and ask them to intervene also: Diocese: our regional presence | The Church of England

These people might not be CofE.

So now you can perfectly justify engaging the council. It's too hot for them to have windows closed so they make it impossible for you to have them open. Very Christian. Not.

When they want to do it loudly. They can live them quietly. Or build places like this in fields, not next to houses.

@OrwellianTimes

What would it matter if it was standard church service times (it's not). The OP was living in a residential house there first. You don't get to set up anything you like slap bang in the middle of a residential service then claim for it to be 'normal' & expect the residents just to put up with it.

I'm not at all religious, but I love hearing the bells on Thursdays & Sundays, but even if I didn't it would be my tough luck. The church has been there a very long time.

however, if someone started running this kind of 'service/noise' in the nearby community centre I'd be livid & id be making a huge fuss about it until it was stopped.

if I had wanted to hear that all the time id have bought a house near somewhere that creates that kind of noise

Record and report.
I wouldn't want to be listening to any religious racket imposing on me.
Report it to the council.

Have they got planning permission to use the property as a church? If no, contact the council. If yes, check your see if they have any operational restrictions on them (ie limited opening times etc).

Because I’m very much assuming that the council have given permission for change of use for the building to be used as a Church. So yes, with council permission, you can set up a church bang in the middle of a residential area. It’s a well set precedent for churches to be on the middle of residential areas to be honest. Sunday morning would be the expected service time. Moreover it’s not going to be in a house - it’s most likely in an old industrial or commercial unit. It’s a fact of life that commercial units can butt up to residential areas, and any new businesses can move in.

We have to deal with a coffee roaster on the edge of our estate who stinks the whole estate out. It smells like burn gross food, not like nice coffee. I live about half a mile from it.

If you don’t like it take it up with the council.

I’ve emailed the housing associate high makes the bookings for people renting out the place. There’s an advert on the front for a Christian group starting in the morning, but this lot went on til 4.30pm. Torturous.

Literally just a suggestion, I wasn't thinking she'd fire off a quick letter to the pope to cover her bases.