Why some people only go to church on Festive days

There is always an enormous number of people in churches during Celebratory days such as Easter and Christmas unlike other ordinary days. It is rather bizarre but true that some of the people only go to church on such big days. There are however quite a number of reasons why some people decide to only visit the church on such days. Steven, an acquaintance, recently confessed to me that he only attends church on Christmas day. He said that if he had a choice, he wouldn’t be attending church even on Christmas day but it’s just because it’s a family ritual for them to attend church together every Christmas. “My father thinks it’s a big deal for us to go to church together every Christmas which is precisely the only reason I go to church; to make my father happy otherwise I find church so boring,” Steven admits. I do attend church services almost every Sunday and I don’t really find them boring like my friend Steven. So he tries to explain to me how he finds church boring. “Well, I used to enjoy church during the years I used to attend Sunday school but it all changed when I grew up and felt like there was too much segregation in the church,” Steven explains. Steven says that he used to love church when he was young but when he became a teenager, he felt like he wasn’t liked by the church members. I always felt like the church members only spoke to the children whose parents were rich or were ministers in church. I loved my baggy jeans and big jerseys back then when I was a teenager and I would wear them to church because that is what I felt like. However, the church people would talk to me so offensively about my dress code yet I felt there was nothing wrong with it. They would give me those odd ugly glances like I was a criminal. Steven adds that his teenage experience made him hate church till this day. He adds that he thought church was supposed to be a place full of love and no condemnation but instead he felt despised and hated by the church. “I do love God for sure but I can’t stand the church. I listen to sermons on Television at times and that is church for me,” Steven says. Claudine Mutesi, a 26 year old cleaner in a hospital says she also doesn’t really enjoy attending the church due to discrimination in the church. “In the church I used to go to, only the rich are ushered to the front seats yet we are all believers. I think that is so wrong since it makes us feel like the church is only interested in the rich,” Sarah explains. Claudine adds that sometimes, the people in the church won’t pay attention to you because they think you are of no value. They will instead pay attention to those who dress well and bring in more offertories yet us who might seem poor, come to church to feel the love of God which isn’t portrayed by those supposed to give it, says Mutesi. Like Mutesi, quite a number of people out there don’t go to church not because they hate church or God but because they instead feel desolate. Church is supposed to be a place filled with love and care for one another since God is love. There are ushers or members of different ministries in the church who feel they are holier than thou and are defined by attitude. These are stumbling blocks to new Christians or people that would love to be members of that particular church. If you went to a certain shop or home and the people there aren’t receptive at all or they ignore you and look at you like you were rivals, then going back would be the last thing on your mind. One wonders if ushers and church ministers should go through ‘customer care’ lessons to avoid drawing away the congregation from the church. Majority of those that have abandoned the church say it’s because they feel deserted by the church. Well, our character and the way we treat others should draw people to and not away from God. Just imagine the teenage girl you chased away from a front seat just because you are reserving it for a ‘big shot’. She might go look for love in the wrong places just because of your one act of loathe that made her feel hated, when she expected to feel loved by God’s servants. Church shouldn’t be segregative since the Bible also states that God is no respecter of persons. Every person should be treated equally and with love. However, people shouldn’t draw on on these as excuses for not going to church. The people that minister or usher in the church are not perfect. They are only human with their weaknesses as well. If you are looking for a perfect church, then stay home because there is none on earth! Look unto God and not man. If you identify flaws in your church, don’t run away, instead stay and be that difference you want to see! m.kaitesi@yahoo.com