Pastors question sports on Sundays

[Space Gravy]

Pastors question sports on Sundays

It is a weekly ordeal at the Rev. Donald Mossa's church in Hanover.

The moment the youth choir sings its last note, a swarm of parents descends to rush their kids to soccer games. Or they call to say they're skipping Sunday services because of a tournament.

"The anxiety of 'Do I go to church or do I take my kid to the soccer game?' is a weekly ordeal," said Mossa, a pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Whippany. "It's letting the team down versus letting God down."

Mossa is part of a group of pastors from eight Hanover churches that is asking township officials to ban sports games on Sunday mornings.

The group, called the Hanover Township Interreligious Council, approached the township committee last month for help in "restoring sacredness to the Sabbath." The holy day, the group contends, is crucial during a time when divorce rates and substance abuse appear to be on the rise.

The group represents all the churches in town and spans five denominations, serving more than 5,000 parishioners. This week, the pastors also planned to e-mail 63 churches in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon and Warren counties to ask for their support.

Link (http://blog.nj.com/ledgerarchives/2008/06/pastors_question_sports_on_sun.html)

Sounds like blue laws for the new millennium. What an absolute joke they want to get the Gov't involved in hopes of increasing their attendance.

[BSR]

Pastors question sports on Sundays

It is a weekly ordeal at the Rev. Donald Mossa's church in Hanover.

The moment the youth choir sings its last note, a swarm of parents descends to rush their kids to soccer games. Or they call to say they're skipping Sunday services because of a tournament.

"The anxiety of 'Do I go to church or do I take my kid to the soccer game?' is a weekly ordeal," said Mossa, a pastor at the Presbyterian Church of Whippany. "It's letting the team down versus letting God down."

Mossa is part of a group of pastors from eight Hanover churches that is asking township officials to ban sports games on Sunday mornings.

The group, called the Hanover Township Interreligious Council, approached the township committee last month for help in "restoring sacredness to the Sabbath." The holy day, the group contends, is crucial during a time when divorce rates and substance abuse appear to be on the rise.

The group represents all the churches in town and spans five denominations, serving more than 5,000 parishioners. This week, the pastors also planned to e-mail 63 churches in Morris, Sussex, Hunterdon and Warren counties to ask for their support.

Link (http://blog.nj.com/ledgerarchives/2008/06/pastors_question_sports_on_sun.html)

Sounds like blue laws for the new millennium. What an absolute joke they want to get the Gov't involved in hopes of increasing their attendance.


Eh, I see it a little differently. I dont think they are trying to "increase their attendance" I think he's trying to get the butts that are already there in the chairs, and these parents are stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I dont think they should bring it to the governement, but go to the sports leagues instead to work out an arraingment. Maybe late afternoon games, or Saturday games.

[Rebel Yell]

Eh, I see it a little differently. I dont think they are trying to "increase their attendance" I think he's trying to get the butts that are already there in the chairs, and these parents are stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I dont think they should bring it to the governement, but go to the sports leagues instead to work out an arraingment. Maybe late afternoon games, or Saturday games.

We don't have any games on Sunday at all here. We don't even have them on Wednesdays, due to prayer meeting.

[AlmostThere]

Ain't nothing new. 40 years ago my brother and I got dirty looks from the choir director when we showed up 2 minutes late for choir practice. He knew we were at the ball game and therefore had sinned.

The dirty looks were bad enough but our home team really sucked back then. So they'd get their asses kicked and we'd get dirty looks. That's to much for a couple teenagers to handle. :rolleyes:

[noonwitch]

I grew up in a religiously conservative community, and we never had baseball games on Sundays. We didn't on Saturdays, either, out of respect to the two jewish kids in the league, unless it was a rain-day makeup game. We played early evenings, for the most part.

Grand Rapids has changed a lot since I was a kid, though, so I don't know if they still don't have games on Sundays. My sister lives in St. Joe, and her kids have games on Sundays. But St. Joe isn't part of the dutch triangle.