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Original poster

A Christian opinion needed on Sunday football

15 replies

lilibet · 09/05/2005 16:17

My ds's both go to football on a Sunday and we have been able to manouvere it so that they don't miss Church and Sunday School. Ds1 kicks off at 10, we can just make it to church for 11.15, then ds2 is at 1pm, so Sundays are a rush but we can manage everthing. From next season both boys have moved up into different league and there is no way that we can make church. I've rung round other leagues/teams trying to find am alternative but have had no joy. Both boys are very very good.

What would you do?

OP posts:

ladymuck · 09/05/2005 16:21

How many Sundays are impacted, and what alternative group etc are there at the church(eg you could go to evening service - is there a kids club during the week?)

How temporary (or not) would the change be?

ButtonMoon · 09/05/2005 16:21

I would let them choose what they would prefer to do. You could all go to an evening service as a family is you still wanted some input into their lives.

Kelly1978 · 09/05/2005 16:22

How about let them go to football but send them to a xtian organisation such as boys brigade during the week so theuy still get religious teaching too?

Tinker · 09/05/2005 16:24

Not a Christain lilibet but agree with letting them choose now. Ages?

DixiExpat · 09/05/2005 16:37

Well, it isn't as if you are forsaking assembly if you are still going to an evening service.

Do you go to mid-week services?

The true Shabbat is Fri. sunset to Saturday sunset so it isn't as if you'd be breaking the Shabbat observation commandment.

I agree with the others that its simply up to you, erm, it would be good to get the kids opinions but if they are too young ex. under 13 I personally wouldn't use the words "its up to you" when discussing it with them.

I think it would be more harmful to make them resent church because they have to give up football than rework your service schedule during football season.

Original poster

lilibet · 09/05/2005 16:39

They are 8 and 12, they both go to bb, our evening services are not child freindly at all. We go occasionally and bring the average age down to about 60!

It is every Sunday from Spetember to May apart from the odd one or two where the weather is bad. I will be really sad on behalf of the 8 yr old -I know that he woudl choose football but this weeknd he is being David in David and Goliath as the Sunday School are doing the service. He will miss nativities, Carol Services and so much more.

OP posts:

Ameriscot2005 · 09/05/2005 16:41

Our church overcame this problem by getting together with some of the other churches in the area to form a Saturday league.

We have not given DS1 (13) the option of playing on Sunday.

Original poster

lilibet · 09/05/2005 16:42

We can't do midweek services as they are at 10 on a Wednesday.

One of the things that I do for the church is to go and see families who would liek their babies baptised to explain to them the significance of the promises they are making. You are promising to bring your child up within the family of the church - going to look pretty hypocritical doing that when my own 8 year old never goes!

OP posts:

ionesmum · 09/05/2005 21:17

It's a difficult one. I think you have to discuss it with them, setting out whilst it's important for you to go to church as a family and see what they think.

Also, as you are involved with you local church what about raising the possibility of having a monthly evening service for families? I struggle with two children under four to make our family service at 9.30 and would so love to have an evening service. Our local Baptist church do this, it's a short worship followed by a bring & share tea.

Or maybe try another football league? Or (whisper) another church????

Original poster

lilibet · 09/05/2005 21:25

any opinions from the evening crew?

OP posts:

ionesmum · 09/05/2005 22:12

lilibet, I am in a similar situation to yourself in a way. I'm a practising Anglican an dvery involved with my local church. However, the buildings aren't safe for toddlers, and our 'All Age' worship is in fact aimed at junior school-aged children, so dd1 gets bored and runs around, which isn't safe. So as far as I'm concerned, my church isn't suitable for my family and I take them to a monthly service for under-fives at the Baptist church, and the ecumenical pram service which I help run. Our previous pp was committed to having Evensong each week and an All Age each week, at set times, but we have a new pp coming in and a group of mums are going to press for a monthly service for under fives, either instead of our regular All-Age or Evensong, maybe switching to Matins instead for that week for the BCP fans. What I am trying to say is that traditional church patterns aren't family-friendly, and your church and mine need to look at new ways of accommodating the needs of families who are really pushed to find time for resting and enjoying themselves. And if they don't, then we have to seriously consider taking them elsewhere for a while, which is the situation I am reluctantly finding myself in. Hope my rambling helps!

mcmudda · 09/05/2005 22:37

Hi Lilibet

Congrats on your sporty boys
I would echo what someone else posted about getting involved in midweek kids work. Or does your boys' school have a lunchtime Xian group they could get involved in?

I know it's important to worship together as a family - my ds is only 2 so it's not an issue for us atm, but I can see that when he gets older it will be.

My only other experience was in our old church where 3 or 4 of the dads got involved in running a Saturday league - that's a lot of responsibility I know, but it really took off in this case.

Dh's old church also had their own football team which was a brilliant way of getting younger kids linked in with church. Some came to the youth club, some didn't but they had contact with Christians for maybe the first time in their lives. The witness of the guys invloved in running the team often had such an impact on the lads playing that some became Christians. THe team consistently won the good sportsmanship awards in their Saturday league because their attitude really shone out as being different.

An organisation like Crusaders are very into the sports side of things - they might have some advice - or maybe Youth for Christ?

No right answer in this I think. Hope it works out for the best for your family

MarsLady · 09/05/2005 22:49

Let me tell you what we did and do. It may or may not work for you, but it has worked out for us.

DS1 is completely sports mad. Always has been! DH and I decided that we didn't want him to have to choose between God and football at 8. So we compromised. He would go to play his football match and we would attend the other service. It was not always possible for us to attend church as a family. The upside was that when he got picked for the school team and it go in the way of his youth group he would miss the football. We prayed and our church started a 5pm service. They didn't think that they would get families there but it is full of families with sport playing children (girls, boys). It has meant that we can go to church as a family. It has also meant that our son hasn't had to choose between sport and his faith. We felt he was too young to make the decision before and didn't want to spoil church for him by making it take the place of football. He is now 12 and his faith is strong. He goes to a midweek group and is very active on Sundays. He is also in the process of finding out about Christians in Sport.

We feel that the decision that we took worked for us as a family and for our son. As he gets older he will have to decide for himself more and more about what he wants to do with his faith. We hope that by not making him resentful at choosing he will keep his faith.

hth.

I'm not suggesting that you do what we have done, merely sharing it!

mcmudda · 09/05/2005 22:53

MarsLady - good point about Christians in Sport - their website is here:

Christians in Sport

Original poster

lilibet · 09/05/2005 23:25

Good website - I'll have a better look tomorrow

thanks a lot!

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