Off The Editor’s Desk – 8-2-2017

Were you in church on Sunday?

Did you and your family attend church services last Sunday? The reason that I ask that question is because I have come to the conclusion that most local churches and churches throughout the country have declining attendance.

I am not going to say that I have perfect attendance at church each week. No, I miss a lot of church services. Paula and I attended church in Hayward this past Sunday and there was a good number of people at the nine o’clock service. I estimate that another couple of dozen more people could have attended and found a place to sit.

But, where are the kids? At Hayward the minister introduced three teenagers from that congregation that were on their way to the Nation’s Capitol as part of a church sponsored event. Those were the only young ones at services Sunday morning.

I have heard that several local churches are suffering financially because of poor attendance and have to cut back on expenses. The church in Glenwood City (our home church) all the pews, except the front three rows could be removed, and still have room to accommodate those who regularly attend. Still, where are the kids?

Have we become a society that is so dependent on the government that we have forsaken our religious beliefs?

But, I don’t think this is just a local happening. I think that the Christian Church is under attack nationwide and worldwide.

Maybe you have heard the story of the woman who is a florist in Washington State who became the target of harassments and lawsuits after she made a simple decision to follow her conscience in 2013.

You see, she was asked by a male friend and customer to design a flower arrangement for his same-sex wedding.

She knew that she could not make the floral arrangement for this fellow because of her commitment to biblical truth and God’s plan for marriage. She decided that she did not want to participate in that wedding and that should have been the end of the story, but it was not. 

The Washington Attorney General filed a suit against her and then the ACLU stepped in to file another lawsuit against her. She became the target of hateful letters, phone calls, emails, and even death threats. Recently, Alliance Defending Freedom asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her case. This has to be a financial drain on that owner of a small business.

There is also the case in some southern state where a monument of the ten commandants was erected only to have it destroyed within the first 24 hours of its installation.

When did this all start, could it have been back in 1971 with the Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade? Or was it back with Lyndon Johnson’s great society or as far back as FDR’s new deal? Or have our needs been satisfied with the pleasures of our earthly things and a religious presence is no longer a factor in our daily lives?

I am not one that is worthy to spread the word of a spiritual presence. All I am suggesting is that next Sunday we make an attempt to attend church services. I will feel better and I think you will too. And, by the way, make an extra effort at the collection plate.

Thanks for reading!       ~Carlton