Neighbor Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 951 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,565 Content Per Day: 5.03 Reputation: 9,045 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Share Posted May 13, 2019 Hi, I do love the opportunity to attend worship service on Thursday's. From The pastor's blog comes this explanation of why a Thursday corporate worship time. Why Thursday worship? Leveled my direction numerous times since our leaders began openly chatting about our new weekend worship gathering this spring has been this inquiry: why Thursday worship? It seems folks can wrap their heads (and hearts) around Saturday worship or an additional service on Sunday evenings, but the thought of gatherings to adore Jesus with His family on a Thursday evening seem to some the height of absurdity or to a few borderline blasphemy. I’ve had copious conversations surrounding this topic and I will no doubt have several more; but with our third weekend worship gathering launching this week – on Thursdays at 6:45 PM – I believe now would be a good time to address the issue in print. No, we aren’t pitching Thursday worship because we are hip or edgy or trying to achieve cool points (whatever any of that means). Neither are we doing so because we hate “the Lord’s day” and want to gradually lead devotees of Jesus into small compromises that will ultimately deteriorate their souls and transform them into doctrine-denying, church-history-hating modern liberals. Rather, our purposes for Thursday worship are clear – and I contest – strong: Thursday worship creates another option to gather. More than 30% of the American workforce labors on the weekend. Late Saturday or early Sunday shifts prevent countless believers from worshipping or seekers from attending consistently on Sunday mornings. Add to this the frequent weekend travel of those living in the burbs (for business or leisure) and you find an entire collection of folks who routinely or at least occasionally need an option to gather with the church to worship and learn outside of Sunday mornings. Just last week one of our faithful members informed me that he and his wife missed 6 Sundays last year to attend out of town weddings alone. He stated that for this reason – and others – they are thrilled for Thursday worship. A half dozen other families or individuals have informed me in the past month that their work has altered forcing them to work on the weekend and miss Sunday service; so Thursday worship is an answer to prayer. Thousands around the Bay Area serve in hospitality, retail, law enforcement, the medical field, or various other professions every weekend. Why not provide them an alternative to Sunday morning? Thursday worship serves as an evangelistic opportunity. Already I have heard from several young people who have told me that their non-Christian friends – who either work or party on the weekends – have stated that they are willing to check out church on Thursday evenings. A few weeks ago – when we first broadcast the idea of Thursday worship – I received an email from one of our members informing me that her sister, who is an ardent atheist, stated that she feels like Thursdays will work well for her to attend church in search of answers to questions that haunt her mind. While our gatherings are primarily geared to edify and equip believers, we do circle back to and are bolstered by the Gospel of Jesus each week which is not only the power to sustain the saint, but, as we know, the power to save the sinner. Thursday worship declares to a watching world that Jesus is worthy of more than Sundays. Since the first century the church has gathered locally for worship and instruction on Sundays. The reason for this was two-fold: (a) because it was on this day that the Lord defeated death securing resurrection for all His people and (b) because it was the day upon which Pentecost occurred. However, while the early church typically gathered to worship on the first day of the week, this behavior was descriptive and is no where Biblically prescriptive. In other words, we can follow the example from church history of worshipping corporately on Sundays, but if we choose to gather with the church on another day of the week we can authentically worship on that day in the stead of Sundays without any doctrinal compromise. If you are a believer who is convinced that Sunday stands as separately sacred from the other days of the week then I strongly encourage you to act on that conviction and commit to corporate worship in all of its beauty on Sundays (Romans 14). If however, you are willing, or even feel compelled to worship Christ with His church on Thursday evenings then I say “Amen” and stand with you to declare to the world around us (and even to the church itself) that our King is worthy of far more than just Sunday mornings. Thursday worship provides additional worship space. For any growing church hard decisions must be made. BLDG 28 was planted seven years ago and over the past four years has experienced remarkable growth. We have moved from one worship gathering in a smaller room, to two gatherings in that room, to two gatherings in a new, larger space, and are now out of room in those two gatherings. We earnestly desire to reach and minister to increasingly more folks, so that leaves us with a decision to me made. A Thursday service gives us to the opportunity to create more room while ministering to more people all for the glory of Christ Jesus. If you are a part of BLDG 28 please be looking for ways to serve the family of faith and press hard against dissension and disunity in the body. God is doing remarkable things in His church and we should safeguard and cultivate His movement. If you are a friend of BLDG 28, please pray for our leaders, our members, and our mission as we launch Thursday worship and strive forward in faithfulness on this mission to which He has called us. Semper Reformanda. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 951 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,565 Content Per Day: 5.03 Reputation: 9,045 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Author Share Posted May 13, 2019 The Thursday worship service has been a blessing to my wife and I for a few months now. It is identical to the two Sunday worship services. I imagine that is quite the extra work load on the entire staff, and compresses preparation time into three days a week though the verse by verse manner of presentation does set forth a long term plan of action. I thank the many volunteers as well as paid staff that have to work so extra hard to bring the word of God in corporate worship an extra day during the week each week. What a treat it is for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis1209 Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 347 Topics Per Day: 0.13 Content Count: 7,464 Content Per Day: 2.70 Reputation: 5,375 Days Won: 1 Joined: 09/27/2016 Status: Offline Share Posted May 13, 2019 That's a good idea. I heard or read something awhile back about why the majority of Sunday services are held at their specific times; namely Sunday School at 10:00 A.M. and worship service at 11:00 A.M., or there abouts. Tradition says it had to do with the farmers duties and chores around the farm milking the cows and such. In this day and age, corporate employers might make a pretense in trying to accommodate religious practices; but in reality if you can't conform to their schedules they don't need you. As a side note and somewhat related; in my location (Bible belt), great strides have been made against Blue Laws" or Sunday laws. Bars / liquor stores open and selling liquor and beer on the Sabbath. Anyway, it's my opinion a church serves its people and community both spiritually and physically. A church needs to adapt and change with the times to reach as many people as possible. We shouldn't be idle and wait for them to come to us on our schedule, but adapt to schedules and reach out and invite them in. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Alive Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,024 Content Per Day: 1.33 Reputation: 1,224 Days Won: 3 Joined: 02/05/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted May 13, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said: As a side note and somewhat related; in my location (Bible belt), great strides have been made against Blue Laws" or Sunday laws. Bars / liquor stores open and selling liquor and beer on the Sabbath. I moved to the bible belt (Kentucky) from Seattle 8 years ago. I was appalled that many counties (mine included) were still practicing prohibition. Fortunately, I live a mile from the county line where they sell it seven days a week. My county is now "moist", but they still don't allow sales on Sunday. They do allow sales of alcohol on the "Sabbath" though (Saturday). I put it in quotes because, as a Christian, my Sabbath rest is Jesus. Edited May 13, 2019 by Still Alive Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Alive Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,024 Content Per Day: 1.33 Reputation: 1,224 Days Won: 3 Joined: 02/05/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted May 13, 2019 1 hour ago, Dennis1209 said: That's a good idea. I heard or read something awhile back about why the majority of Sunday services are held at their specific times; namely Sunday School at 10:00 A.M. and worship service at 11:00 A.M., or there abouts. Tradition says it had to do with the farmers duties and chores around the farm milking the cows and such. In this day and age, corporate employers might make a pretense in trying to accommodate religious practices; but in reality if you can't conform to their schedules they don't need you. As a side note and somewhat related; in my location (Bible belt), great strides have been made against Blue Laws" or Sunday laws. Bars / liquor stores open and selling liquor and beer on the Sabbath. Anyway, it's my opinion a church serves its people and community both spiritually and physically. A church needs to adapt and change with the times to reach as many people as possible. We shouldn't be idle and wait for them to come to us on our schedule, but adapt to schedules and reach out and invite them in. I've belonged to a couple of very large churches. Their strength was in the Wednesday night small group studies. One I went to in Seattle actually had "hobby specific" Wednesday small groups. They held that part of being a Christian was to simply enjoy and share life with other Christians. This means that though they would start the evening with a prayer, their event was not necessarily "overtly" Christian. Though some were bible studies. The two that really stood out to me as odd were "movie night" group and "bourbon appreciation" group. The latter sounds TERRIBLE to a teetotaller, but in reality it was about appreciating "A" drink of different forms of Bourbon, not a drunken brawl. I find it interesting now since I live in the heart of Bourbon country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustPassingThru Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Diamond Member Followers: 8 Topic Count: 14 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 1,979 Content Per Day: 0.98 Reputation: 2,112 Days Won: 1 Joined: 10/23/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted May 13, 2019 That's really encouraging and I'm glad you are being additionally blessed with your pastor's commitment to more Koinonia in the week, ...it sounds like the Lord is blessing, ...hopefully the need to open the doors will grow to more days during the week, ...maybe even seven...... Acts 2:42 Lord bless 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neighbor Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Worthy Ministers Followers: 18 Topic Count: 951 Topics Per Day: 0.35 Content Count: 13,565 Content Per Day: 5.03 Reputation: 9,045 Days Won: 6 Joined: 12/04/2016 Status: Offline Birthday: 03/03/1885 Author Share Posted May 13, 2019 3 hours ago, Still Alive said: Their strength was in the Wednesday night small group studies Hi Dennis, Yes a lot of local bodies do have a core that are the attendees of a Wednesday service or prayer that has a differing message/sermon from Sunday AM or Sunday PM. The churches, plural, that I have participated in have the lights on and are actively in use most every day and night, by missionary outreach groups, home schoolers, English as a second language, Prison Chaplin support, food preparation for those in temporary need, and so on, including a Wednesday night service that is different from Sunday's different services am and pm . What this Thursday night does is add one more worship service identical to the two Sunday AM services. I certainly appreciate that extra effort. Wow that involves a lot of people working at all the stations and tasks needed for Sunday worship services; parking lot attendents, door greeters, security, infant care, children care and teaching, sound crews, recording crews, plus musicians must be there Thursday and Sunday too. Pastors have to be prepared by Thursday night for Sunday's service if it is to be identical. That really must push the entirety of the schedule into a real tight calendar each and every week and really every day. For many it is not a lets go Thursday or Sunday, instead it is lets volunteer, or lets work, every Sunday and every Thursday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Alive Posted May 13, 2019 Group: Royal Member Followers: 4 Topic Count: 13 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 3,024 Content Per Day: 1.33 Reputation: 1,224 Days Won: 3 Joined: 02/05/2018 Status: Offline Share Posted May 13, 2019 13 minutes ago, Neighbor said: What this Thursday night does is add one more worship service identical to the two Sunday AM services. I certainly appreciate that extra effort. Wow that involves a lot of people working at all the stations and tasks needed for Sunday worship services; parking lot attendents, door greeters, security, infant care, children care and teaching, sound crews, recording crews, plus musicians must be there Thursday and Sunday too. Pastors have to be prepared by Thursday night for Sunday's service if it is to be identical. That really must push the entirety of the schedule into a real tight calendar each and every week and really every day. For many it is not a lets go Thursday or Sunday, instead it is lets volunteer, or lets work, every Sunday and every Thursday. I completely missed that "minor" detail. I was not seeing it as an "instead of Sunday" thing. Never mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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