Church Disruption

[George]

This morning in Church I was down right embarrassed. There was a virtual parade of people getting up and parading through the aisles. The majority of them were most likely headed to the rest rooms. It got so bad Pastor had to stop preaching and tell the congregation he was struggling. He was having a very difficult time in presenting the message because of the constant disruptions. He addressed that fact to the congregation and then prayed. As soon as he was done and went back to preaching don't you know that one of the men who was involved in the disruption promptly got up and walked to someplace else in the Church.

A number of the ones involved were Children. That amazes me because I am a 63-year old man with cancer and prostate problems and I can sit through the whole service without getting up and disrupting the service by parading through the aisle to the rest room. Surely if I can do it the youngsters can too.

A number of you men here are preachers and/or Pastors. How do you handle such things in your Church. I have been in churches where they have what is called an overflow room. It is actually for people to sit if the Church is overcrowded. However if someone gets up and moves around in the church they are not allowed to further disrupt the service by going back to their original place but are made to go into the overflow room. Since we don't have the luxury of such a facility it was my thought we could have a couple of ushers in the back and when someone tried to re-enter the Church they could nicely be told they would have to sit in the last row or two so they did not disrupt the service again.

I would really like to hear your thoughts and the practices you use in your Church to handle such things. I have not seen it this bad previously so perhaps it is only a one-time thing but I do believe we need to come up with some kind of solution before we are forced to deal with it again. The worst part of the whole thing was that this morning was the Lord's Supper service and the sermon was about salvation and the importance and meaning of the Lord's Supper. I am here to tell you that some of the ones guilty of participating in the parade needed to listen to the message most attentively.

In Christ,
George

[Davo]

Bro George

I know what you mean.

One of our deacons is a disabled man who has to leave the room several times. We also have a lad who is downs syndrome who also has to leave. Apart from those we rarely have anyone leave except for such things as coughing fits, who leave so they won't disturb the service.

We have a wireless microphone system and use an extra receiver in the vestry tuned to the frequency of mic no.1, which picks up the preacher's mic, but not the others. This is used for anyone who has to leave because of young children, etc.

In a previous church we visited at times, so many peole left during the service that I asked the pastor if there was anything in the water in that town. He asked what I meant and then said that it had been worrying him, and he would have a word with the members. Most who left the room were teenagers including pastor's children. It was not so bad after that.

[Jerry80871852]

I've never had it happen to that extent. But I understand where your coming from. We are in a time even many Christians do not know how to show respect, especially in church services.

In my years of attending church before I became a pastor, I know for sure the number of times I had to get up and leave the building during preaching services could be counted on one hand. For many it would take many hands.

We've had some visitors who have been bad about coming in to preaching services late, its so sad at the disrespect some show Jesus Churches services. It seems next to impossible to teach grown ups respect who has never had any.

George, I to be 63 and growing older every moment.

[George]

Quote:We've had some visitors who have been bad about coming in to preaching services late, its so sad at the disrespect some show Jesus Churches services.

Brother Jerry, we have had that happen also. One of the saddest stories is a family who lives less than a quarter of a mile from Church and they were constantly late. Pastor really admonished the congregation about tardiness a few weeks ago. He mentioned it each service for a couple of weeks and now there is an announcement in the bulletin each week about being on time. That seems to have gotten that aspect under control.

Perhaps that is what is needed to be done about the "parade" also. Interestingly enough I talked to one long-time church member this evening who told me, "Things have changed and people have changed." My response was that may be true but the Word of God has not changed and the things He requires of us have not changed. I also told her that people are supposed to change to fit the mold of the Church as God has designed it. The Church is not supposed to change to meet the standards of the people. Praise God our Pastor has not backed off of preaching the Word of God as it was meant to be preached.

IN Christ,
George

[Jerry80871852]

George Wrote:

Quote:We've had some visitors who have been bad about coming in to preaching services late, its so sad at the disrespect some show Jesus Churches services.

Brother Jerry, we have had that happen also. One of the saddest stories is a family who lives less than a quarter of a mile from Church and they were constantly late. Pastor really admonished the congregation about tardiness a few weeks ago. He mentioned it each service for a couple of weeks and now there is an announcement in the bulletin each week about being on time. That seems to have gotten that aspect under control.

Perhaps that is what is needed to be done about the "parade" also. Interestingly enough I talked to one long-time church member this evening who told me, "Things have changed and people have changed." My response was that may be true but the Word of God has not changed and the things He requires of us have not changed. I also told her that people are supposed to change to fit the mold of the Church as God has designed it. The Church is not supposed to change to meet the standards of the people. Praise God our Pastor has not backed off of preaching the Word of God as it was meant to be preached.

IN Christ,
George

I don't judge peoples salvation, but by the way some act, the disrespect they show God and His house, those who gather in His Church to worship, they surely do not act saved when they so casually disrupt the services that are taking pace there.

Can't help but think of this occassion. I don't believe I've told this over here.
In the church I surrender to preach in, before I had surrendered Linda and I use to set close to the back on the pews to the left as you walked in. The pastors wife and grand children set about 2 pews up on the opposite side. That particular morning a family with a teenaged daughter had set in front of us. The sermon was going good. I noticed this teenage daughter was getting very interested. I heard some noise, Looked towards the preachers wife, she was playing with a grandchild. Everything settled down, this young woman was interested again, the sermon going good. Yet again, noise came from the preachers wife, of course it broke the attention the young woman was paying to quite a good sermon.

Well it quieted down again, everything going again, I heard in part a woman hollering out, but she caught herself before the full blast could come from her mouth. Her grandchild had took a friction type play car, run it down the church bench real fast, the wheels were turning quite fast, them he held the wheels up to his grandmothers hair. Of course the hair got caught up in the wheels, pulling the play car tight to her head. And I suppose from the sound I heard it dearly hurt this dear woman. She got up and left the building in a large hurry!

I don't really know if that cured her, for the next Sunday Linda and I moved from the next to last pew from the back on the left side, to the 2nd from the front on the left side. We had to get away from all the noise the pastors wife was making playing with her grandchildren.

Wow, it makes one wonder about people. For this verse seems to fit them.

Titus 1:16 They profess that they know God: but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

[Bro Nobody]

Well at least they got up and left to use the bathroom...When we first started a church here it was in an open field in a tent for 3 years(Honduras). Dogs, pigs chickens, goats drunks wonder through constantly. Its really aggravating when a dog runs in hikes on the pulpit. Or standing in 6 inches of sewage to preach during rainstorms. Or families around the church thowing a bag of excrement over their back wall landing on the tent during services (They live in homes without bathrooms or water and for years just threw it over the fence) Forget wearing suits, too hot and too expensive to ruin every week. The children use to just get up and do their business in the isle... (they went to the bathroom there normally when the tent was not up sooo...) Its getting better, but just goes to show there is always someone higher or lower on the ladder of life…. Even in a 3rd world country cell phones are a big issue as well
Still have the little boys go on the back wall but at least its outside the building now. Not saying getting up is right or I agree they should just showing it not the most annoying situation to have….I can name many more too…like a drunk mad at the world swing a machete in service or….
unworthy

[Davo]

We don't have much problem with late arrivals.

In a previous church we attended we were often late, as even though we left in good time we were held up on the journey, 13 miles through narrow lanes. Reasons were, Steam locomotives travelling about 2 miles per hour. Once we did not arrive at all as we stopped to help a young man, driving in front of us, who turned his van over in a field. Once we were stopped by the police to let the local ½ marathon pass.

On the other hand we went to a church in France where the service was advertised to start at 10.00 am. By 10.15 most people had arrived at which time the service started.

[George]

Last night really took the cake! We have a gentleman with us who teaches Creation seminars. He spoke on pre-flood conditions, the ark, post-flood and dinosaurs. It was quite fascinating. I was really attentive to what he had to say.

We are also currently hosting the Golden State Association of Christian Schools competition. We have about 400 students from all over California here. About 20 minutes to eight last night a whole group of them paraded through the auditorium right in front of where I was sitting. I don't know how many of them passed by but it had to be at least a hundred of them. It was extremely distracting. It actually broke my concentration and the rest of the evening was sort of rough to follow.

We have large double doors on each side of our Church which lead to aisles against the outer walls. I did not understand why they were not ushered in that way so as not to disrupt things. I am going to speak to our principal about it as soon as I see him.

I had already lost my normal seat. There were six rows in the front that were reserved for the AWANA Children. While I was pleased as punch they were allowed to listen because over 90% of them go to secular schools where their heads are filled with hogwash every day I had no choice but to sit in the very back row of the Church up against the wall.

but the message delivered was absolutely amazing. I don't know if it will be posted to our website or not but you may want to give it a few days and then check out: http://www.firstbaptistsantamaria.org
He is doing a two hour seminar Saturday morning. I am hoping and praying this one will be posted also. When you go to our home page you will see a link to Sermon Audio. Follow that and you will find all of the sermons posted.

In Christ,
George

[Jerry80871852]

George, If they came in the back way everyone might not have seen them.