Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

My childhood church met at 7:30 on Wednesday nights for mid-week Bible study. We went to class for probably 45 minutes and then gathered in the auditorium for a mini-sermon, a few songs, and the obligatory invitation song. You were lucky to get out by 9:00. I hated it because I never got to watch the original Star Trek unless I was sick. In high school, it also made it hard to get homework done. As an adult, I attended a church that finally cut out the auditorium show on Wednesdays and just had classes for kids with a peak of the week show for adults. It made it much easier to skip.

Like probably most of us, I hated Wednesday nights growing up. They always felt so rushed...rush to get homework done, the lesson book had to be filled out for that night, make sure I get cleaned up and dinner eaten with plenty of time to get there at least 30 minutes before it started (my parents always insisted on being super early, and I HATED it). It honesty felt like a wasted night in the middle of the week. Attendance was always lower on Wednesday nights, but people didn't get bothered nearly as much as they would have if they had missed a Sunday morning. I remember quite a few kids were involved in sports and had to miss the occasional Wednesday night for a game or practice. I heard many snarky remarks about those families and how they "need to get their priorities straight", because you know your whole life has to revolve around Sunday and Wednesday night at 7:00.

Wednesday night services were the ones I first started skipping when I got to college. I haven't been to a Wednesday night service in over five years, but I still get this sense of "Ugh, I hate Wednesdays..." every Wednesday, but then I get that sense of relief when I realize that I don't have to be anywhere or do anything that night. It was so nice to basically get a whole extra night back to do whatever I wanted or take care of things that needed to be done every week when I stopped going.

MusicMan826 wrote: Wednesday night services were the ones I first started skipping when I got to college. I haven't been to a Wednesday night service in over five years, but I still get this sense of "Ugh, I hate Wednesdays..." every Wednesday, but then I get that sense of relief when I realize that I don't have to be anywhere or do anything that night.

Like you, I stopped attending Wednesday services in college. That weird feeling on Wednesdays took years to go away.

That weird feeling on Wednesdays took years to go away.

YES!! I was just recently thinking about how my entire life growing up was completely
organized around cofc church services. Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night.

It feels so good to be free of that. The vague feeling that I should be somewhere during those
times has finally faded away. It took YEARS, and even now, there's sometimes still a twinge of it.
Mostly, when DH and I are out walking the dogs on Sunday morning we know to watch out for the
church people......they'll nearly run you over trying to get to that "next appointed time".

booknerd wrote:My childhood church met at 7:30 on Wednesday nights for mid-week Bible study. We went to class for probably 45 minutes and then gathered in the auditorium for a mini-sermon, a few songs, and the obligatory invitation song. You were lucky to get out by 9:00. I hated it because I never got to watch the original Star Trek unless I was sick. .

that's pretty awful.

My concience never bothered me missing Wednsday night bible class because you are not supposed to divide the congregation up into classes and call it an assembly anyway. BH skipped midweek services and felt fine about it.

B.H. wrote:My concience never bothered me missing Wednsday night bible class

Because your conscience is seared as with a hot iron.

Ivy wrote:

B.H. wrote:My concience never bothered me missing Wednsday night bible class

Because your conscience is seared as with a hot iron.

Bah, I have a bigger and better sense of right and wrong than any Church of Christ person.

Arrived home from after-school activities around 530pm - about the time Dad showed up from work. Rushed to slam supper down our throats then off we went to fight the traffic.

Bible classes started at 7pm. Bell rang promptly at 737 (warning bell to wrap it up) then again a 740. Devotional (mini service) started at 745. Usually, it was the "C" team leading the devotional. Unfortunately, the speakers on the "C" team were wannabe preachers so many times they took way longer than their allotted 5 minutes. It was particularly brutal during the fall/winter, especially when school was in session.

I do have good memories when I was younger but when I got older is was not the highlight of my week.

As a teen I recall how the Wednesday night Bibly Study always interrupted the Pabst Blue Ribbon Bouts - the professional boxing program on TV. My Grandfather - an elder - was always late to Bible Study on Wednesday nights as boxing was his passion.

Missing ANY church related meeting was absolutely verboten, and slackers were considered unchristian and on a fast track to Hell.