Why I was proud of my church last Christmas

I attend a small church in the Cleveland area, and I'm very proud of them. Here's why.

In an earlier blog entry, I talked about how various churches were taking Sunday off, anticipating lowered attendance. Many churches reported dramatically lowered attendance whenever Christmas lands on a Sunday, presumably since many members choose to spend time with their families instead. So this weekend, I found myself wondering how large the turnout would be at our church.

Don't get me wrong; I expected that the numbers would be pretty good. However, I was delighted to see that virtually everyone showed up today! Some of them even brought friends, so our numbers were noticeably higher than usual.

Mind you, this happened even though we also had a Christmas Eve service on the previous night. The turnout there was also very strong, which warmed my heart greatly. What's more, our pastor didn't even need to exhort or remind people not to skip church this Sunday. In other words, the people did this of their own accord, which is a testament to their dedication.

Lest anyone misunderstand... I'm not saying that there are NO good reasons to miss church on Sunday. Nor am I saying that there are no good reasons to cancel church services. There certainly are. However, I was glad to see that my new church home placed a premium on corporate worship and the hearing of God's Word. They also felt that this was as good a way as any to spend time with their families. Good job!