Do you feel guilty if you skip church?

[Aidensmom]

If you are a churchgoer, do you feel guilty if you skip a week?

We skip here and there, if we are going to be out of town, and occassionally if we are just really busy or want to sleep in. I go to a new church, and so it is still quite small and they know if you are not there, it doesn't bother me. A friend of mine, however, wants to start coming to my church, but not till its bigger so they don't know when she skips.

 

[DarkSideMoon]

If you are a churchgoer, do you feel guilty if you skip a week?

We skip here and there, if we are going to be out of town, and occassionally if we are just really busy or want to sleep in. I go to a new church, and so it is still quite small and they know if you are not there, it doesn't bother me. A friend of mine, however, wants to start coming to my church, but not till its bigger so they don't know when she skips.

if i am on vacation or sick or something, no, but if i am perfectly able to and i dont i do.

 

[Albertan mom]

Yes.
We rarely miss church, and only for good reason. My son has hockey alot of sundays, but we still go if we can. He would practice from 8-930, then we would go to McDs for pancakes, then to church at 10:30.

We feel we need to be a good example to our children, and let them know that God is first in our lives, and not just when it is convenient for us.

In the summer, we did sleep in once, but then we have 'home church', where we read a bible story and pray. Same if someone is sick, we do it at home.

I miss it if I don't go!

 

[JennaTX]

We have just started going to church again on a regular basis (in the last year or so), and I definately feel guilty if we don't go. I think for us, we did not go when we did not have chidren, and then starting up again when DD was around 4, I felt that I had been "missing" something. Of course there are still Sunday's when I just want to hit the snooze!

 

[HappyMommy2]

No, not really *guilty* but more like just a feeling like I missed out on something--Sunday just isn't the same without church. We do skip occasionally but try to stay in the Sunday routine as much as possible.

 

[Free4Life11]

Yes. I was raised going to church, but since coming to college I go off and on. I don't have a car, so I have to go to a church within walking distance. I've gone to quite, but didn't return to most as I did not feel very welcomed. I went to another one pretty regularly for a few months, they had a thing for college kids, but I haven't gone in a long time. I'm kind of nervous to go back, because I'm afraid someone will say "where have you been?" To be honest, I've been gone for the month because I've slept. Sundays are my onlys day to sleep in and....well, I've slept in a lot lately!

To be honest, it's not a lot of fun going to church by yourself and going to a new church can be pretty nerve-wracking. I find it hard to meet and connect with people.

 

[ASFCurly]

I feel guilty yes, but I work in the nursery and the other person in there is slightly clueless, she follows my example when I am there, but I could leave a list of things for her to remember, but if I wasn't there, she wouldn't do it. I only don't go if I am out of town, or deathly ill,

 

[pw2pp]

Yep..... because of my kids. Usually if anyone wants to skip, it is ME..... but my kids (teens) put the guilt trip on, so I have to go.

 

[Beastlover]

Yep..... because of my kids. Usually if anyone wants to skip, it is ME..... but my kids (teens) put the guilt trip on, so I have to go.

WOW!! Your TEENS guilt trip you?? Sounds like a nice church program!!

Usually, it is me who wants to skip. Our church has gotten kinda "stale". We have attended another church, and I just love it! So, now we are wresting with the idea of switching churches.

Do I feel guilty? I do feel like I am letting DH down, he is pretty die hard.

 

[powellrj]

Yep..... because of my kids. Usually if anyone wants to skip, it is ME..... but my kids (teens) put the guilt trip on, so I have to go.

Thats how my kids are. There are some weeks I am just too worn out and would love to sleep in, but my kids get upset and HATE to miss, so I will compromise and just go to one service instead of both like they want to.

 

[cheyita]

Yes, even though I don't really believe God holds it against us. But they didn't coin the term "Catholic guilt" without good reason! Especially because I send my girls to Catholic school, I feel that by missing church we are sending very mixed messages. So I try not to do it often.

**Funny - it is a Sunday morning and I was thinking about skipping today. Now I feel guilty about it. Guess we'll be going!**

 

[roseprincess]

Sometimes I feel guilty. We hardly miss church. My family and I go to a mega church here in the Chicago area, going for yrs. Our church has 3 identical services on the weekends(1 on Sat. evening and 2 on Sun. morning). We regularily go to the Sat. evening service. My kids like the Sunday school program (Promiseland). We have very interesting church services at our church, a little more on the alternative side than the traditional church service.
If I miss church, it's usually because I am sick, the kids are sick, or we are on vacation.

Rosemarie

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I guess I do, but less lately. We haven't gone for 2 weeks and right now we have decided to go to the 11 service instead of the 9:45--DD#1 has confirmation class at 11:00 every Sunday this year so someone has to take her, so someone may as well go to church. My thing is that my kids LOVE to sleep--so to get them up at 9:45 (which is the service I prefer as it is more of a "praise" service) I have to constantly yell and be on them all the time, and then DH gets cranky because I'm yelling--and it ruins the whole church "feeling". Today if we all get up real slow there will be no yelling and it will be a more enjoyable experience.
The other thing is we have TGIW on Wednesdays in the winter--dinner from 5:45 to 6:15, kids then have choir until 7 and a Sunday school type thing until 8. DD#1 has a "youth" discussion until 7 and then youth worship. Adults have classes from 6:30-8, but I normally go home (we live very close) and come back to pick up the kids at 8--I'm not an adult Sunday school type person. Going on Wednesdays makes me feel better if we miss a Sunday.
Robin M.

 

[we3disneygo]

we miss sometimes if we were out doing something late the night before.dh works in retail so he doesnt' make it every Sunday.dd11 has started jr. high youth group so we usually go if dh is working.I feel like I have missed something or my week just doesn't go right if I miss church. guess I should get off here and go get ready--I take dd to Sunday school and then meet her at 10:15 for service. I used to go to Sunday school also but we got a new pastor and I stopped going. Have a blessed day!

 

[BuddyGenie]

Yeah, I feel guilty if I don't go on Sundays, and it made me angry that WDW has stopped offering Sunday services at the Poly. Now I have no reason to stay on property, and can only travel when my sister travels during her school breaks. I have no car and no license, and therefore am unable to attend the off-property church closeby to Disney.

To be honest, I don't even know if church does anything for me. I go every Sunday, and for the rest of the week, I'm still a miserable freak with crazy thoughts that I feel compelled to share with everyone.

 

[allie&mattsmom]

Yes, even though I don't really believe God holds it against us. But they didn't coin the term "Catholic guilt" without good reason! Especially because I send my girls to Catholic school, I feel that by missing church we are sending very mixed messages. So I try not to do it often.

**Funny - it is a Sunday morning and I was thinking about skipping today. Now I feel guilty about it. Guess we'll be going!**

I could have written this myself! Over the summer we missed a couple of weeks in a row b/c of diving meets and the next Sunday my DS (8) reminded me we had missed the last two weeks and that we really needed to go to church today! My kids go to a Catholic school as well, and DH & I feel really guilty when we miss mass. We try to go even while we're on vacation although it doesn't always work.

 

[DisneyAddict_M]

I used to, but lately I've skipped so often (for various reasons) that I don't think about it anymore.

 

[Aidensmom]

Kind of curious, people who feel guilty for skipping, is that the only reason you go sometimes?

 

[ZachnElli]

I kinda do. We are skipping today. But dh is sick, he's been sick for several days and he was up all night coughing, so he's still sleeping. Can't feel guilty for that. I'm sure if we went and he started coughing someone would give us the evil eye, lol.

 

[minkydog]

I used to. I was raised in church and I love to go to worship services. Or i did. My DS10 is severely mentally handicapped/autistic and cannot sit through services anymore. He's just too active. My church has no special needs program and I'm just too overwhelmed to start one. So after many years of service to the Lord, DH or I find ourselves staying home now instead of going to church on sunday. It's just easier to take care of Christian at home than fight with him or spend the hour walking him in the parking lot. I harbor no ill feelings toward my friends at church. Christian is the most handicapped person most of them have ever met--they simply don't know what to do with him.

Why don't we move to another church, you ask? Because we love this congregation. They love us and welcome Christian into their midst. We participate in those programs which can accomodate him, like Sunday School cookouts(don't have to be quiet for that!) or Dinner on the Grounds. My older kids participate in youth group.

My faith is stronger than ever. But I miss the sweetness of worshipping with fellow believers, hearing the old hymns and uplifting anthems. I really miss worshipping together with my husband and taking Communion as a couple. When (and if) the Lord leads us to leave our beloved church, we'll seek out a congregation that can accomodate ALL my family.