SPORTSMEN’S CHURCH SERVICE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 51, 23 November 1929, Page 12

SPORTSMEN’S CHURCH SERVICE

HOLIDAY DRESS & SEVENMINUTE SERMONS INNOVATION AT ST. PAUL’S Short sermons and holiday attire for the congregation if they wish to wear it are to be features of special services at St. Paul’s Pro-Cathedral during the summer months: An announcement to this effect was made yesterday by the vicar of St. Paul’s, Canon P. James, whose experiment will be watched with interest. During the summer months, he stated, the early Sunday service 1 would be held at 9.30 o’clock. He hoped to see included in the congregation at this special service many who had formed the habit of spending much of their Sunday in open-air recreation. The hour had been chosen so that they might come to church first. Holiday attire would not be considered out of place, and golf clubs, tennis racquets, and such Impedimental might be safely left at the church entrance in charge of the verger. The services would begin early next month. “We mean to make the experiment,” said Canon James. “Of course, our innovation may find little response, though this has not been the experience elsewhere. After all, there is nothing particularly sacred about the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Sunday. We have no right to say to people, ‘Thou shalt worship then, and then only,’ and. complain if they do not come. The 11 o’clock hour was most suitable for people at the period in which it became the customary hour of morning service; it is still suitable for a large section, and we shall continue that service. But it is quite unreasonable today in New Zealand to expect others to come at 11. A Service for Housekeepers. “Take the housekeeper, the mother of the family: she has to prepare the midday dinner, a very important occasion, often the only midday meal of the week, which is shared by all the family. How can she prepare the dinner if she is in church from 11 to 12.15, or even later? Then take those who wish to spend a fine Sunday in open-air recreation. To ask them to attend an 11 o’clock service is to deprive them of half their Sunday. I am not going to discuss now the difficult question of Sunday recreation, but I ask this: what right have we to assume that none of those who spent Sunday in open-air recreations wish to come to church as well? On the contrary, I believe that many of these people have a real religion, and that they are not unready to be churchgoers, if we give them a reasonable opportunity. I believe that they would be glad to begin their Sunday aright with its primary duty and privilege, and would be much happier, and perhaps better for it. Because of this faith in them, I am making the experiment They shall not starve their spiritual nature if we can help it. Certain Advantages. "The special service will have certain advantages. It is additional to the regular prayer book services, which will all be continued at the former times. Consequently much freedom win be possible in framing these special services. I hope that they will be ‘popular’ in the right sense of the term, that is, I hope that they will meet the real spiritual needs of that large class of the people who have not been able to understand or appreciate religion, as it has been presented to them. Then again these services will be short —not much longer than half an hour. For many people our services are too long; they are unable to concentrate for so long; and they become discouraged and lose interest. Especially for some people our sermons are too long (though this may seem incredible to us preachers). At this service there will be seven-minute sermons — never more than ten minutes. Nevertheless, we will try to deal directly with the questions that are exercising the minds of people to-day. “I hope to have the help of my brother clergymen as preachers; they may be disengaged at that hour. I hope, too, that this experiment will lead more of our parishioners to look upon the church as their spiritual home and to feel at home there. In particular I hope that ‘sportsmen’ will not feel it necessary to don their ‘Sunday best’ for this service, but will come in the comfortable flannels in which they mean to spend the rest of this ‘day of joy and gladness’—the only day in which some men can wear rational dress. Of the ladies’ attire I may not venture to speak.”