The church service that wasn't that was.

Worship services were canceled this morning after a Nor' easter blew in over seventeen inches of snow. I always hesitate to cancel service on Sunday. I tell people to stay home if they don't feel comfortable driving in hazardous conditions, but I like to keep the doors of the church open to those who feel compelled to gather for worship.

Canceling church was never much of an option years ago. The churches all served local neighborhoods. So on snowy days people walked to church. The minister lived next door to the church so he or she could always get there. Not so today. Most people drive to church because they live so far away. With the increasing number of pastors owning their own homes, it isn't unusual for them to live in the next town too. That means the decision as to whether we cancel the service or not isn't as easy.

If the roads are fairly clear and it isn't snowing or dropping freezing rain, we go for it here at First Baptist. The only downside to having church on a day when it might be questionable is that it really affects our average attendance for the month. So much for statistics.

Whether we are open or closed, I come to the church on Sunday mornings. I've always lived in town so I'm close enough to make the trek in and hang out in case someone does show up. One year we had a family drive in all the way from Glastonbury. We held an abbreviated worship service in the parlor. We sang hymns, prayed, read the scripture and I even gave a short devotion. Another year a family was on the way to their church when they heard it was closed on the radio. They made three stops at other churches before they came to ours. So we chatted, sang a carol or two and they were on their way.

Today, as I was writing this note, I heard the door open and in walked Muriel and Frank Roderick. They had walked across the street to come to church. It had been a difficult couple of weeks for Frank as he had his surgery and then had some complications. So we sat and chatted for a while, then we had a cup of coffee and a time of prayer. It was very nice actually. It was a very cozy Christmas Sunday. At 11:30 a.m. we packed up and left for home.

So we didn't have church today... but we did. I guess I do like snow days after all.

Cal