You're Expected to Attend...."

Kathryn M. Sommers
Fort Wayne, Ind.

Evangelical churches have a tendency to keep their members too busy. We're caught trying to provide "fellowship," "activities," and "involvement" for our church family.

As a young mother of three, I've been perplexed by the urging of my pastor to attend church functions three or four nights out of the week. I've downright resented the evening hours demanded of my husband on some church-related project or another, and I've made not a few enemies by finally saying a firm "no" to pleadings for my time.

Yes, I believe in the work of the church. But God has given me three little people to rear and sent into the world. He's linked me to a man whom I am bound to make happy and successful, and He's placed me in a community where I believe I can serve through membership in some groups and committees. Is there no way to reconcile all these demands.

If there's one thing that pleases God, it's for His children to be effective. He's sad when we're exhausted, torn apart by divided allegiances, and cross with our families.

He's sad when we're so busy gadding about to various church functions that we haven't time to be friends with the people next door.

He's sad when a young father misses the growing up years of his children.

He's sad when a mother gives to a schoolteacher three youngsters with severe emotional problems because she was too busy to adequately care for them.

Churches need to be very prudent when making demands upon their members' time. A major job and one minor job per person are enough.

This may necessitate some radical changes. But if we dare, maybe we'll have time to:

• Plan a weekly session with several non-churched couples to study the Bible and mutually share our problems and solutions.
• Schedule a family event--an activity sadly becoming extinct.
• Serve on a committee in our community where we could throw our Christian principles on the side f the right.
• Visit some people with physical, family, or personal problems.
• Adequately study our Sunday school lesson for next week.
• Sip a cup of coffee with a person on the fringe of the church.
• Renew ourselves to serve others.

I'd love it.