Friday, October 01, 2010

Some possible service times

Sundays:

8am

9:30am

11am

4pm

6:30pm

8pm

Midweek - any day or time you like

Select in order of preference (1=prefered, 2=less prefered etc.)

8 comments:

Gerv said...

Speaking as someone at a church with a 6.30pm service, it's not a good time. It's too early to have dinner before, and if you want to see friends afterwards, you end up eating very late. And if you have a family, it's right in the middle of bed time. 4pm or 5pm makes much more sense.

In the morning, you want to give people a lie-in, but want to let them get away quick enough to do or to accept hospitality for lunch. I'd say 10:30am might be optimum, if you only have one morning service.

Marc Lloyd said...

Thanks, Gerv.

What I really want is for 3 village churches to select a time each to have a regualr main service each week. Yes, I agree, I think most people would want 10:30am.

6:30pm is quite common, but I agree awkward with supper.

Gerv said...

I would go for 9.30am, 11am and 5pm, allocating the 11am service to the largest church or the most central, but also considering demographics.

Gerv

Anonymous said...

could you do:
9am, 10:15, 11.30?

or
8:45, 10 and 11.15?

Gerv said...

Anonymous: wouldn't there be a risk, in that scheme, of the vicar not being able to spend any time with his congregation because the moment the service ended he had to jump into his car and drive to the next one?

Marc Lloyd said...

I think if the service is going to be about an hour I'd need an hour and a half between them if I was to briefly chat to people and get to the next one in time.

Sometimes someone else could start the service and the vicar could come to preach and or do communion, but that's less than ideal.

I fear if you start after 11am people will be worrying about lunch. I already am and we start at 10:30am!

Ros said...

Least favourite: midweek any time.

Most favourite: 10am, 10.30am, 9.30am, 11am.

If you've got to fit in three, I'd say 9.30 and 11 in the morning plus one in the evening. However, I'm not a fan of evening services, personally. The only time I'd be likely to go is if I'm away for the weekend, but at StAG, it's 5pm which is too early to get back for if I have Sunday lunch with the parents.

Marc Lloyd said...

Yes, evening service times are tricky!

How important is it to have a service in the same place at the same time each week?

Is it worth going for 8am to allow thuis?

Is the church that gets an evening service each week getting a bad deal?