Snow Sundays

Six inches of snow or so blanketed Charlottesville Saturday and this led to the great debate about whether or not to cancel Sunday services. We ended up canceling our Sunday School hour but holding our 10:45 am worship. In my nine winters in Charlottesville, we have not yet cancelled a Lord’s Day morning worship service. There was one Sunday a couple of years ago when I think we were the only church in Charlottesville that held its morning worship. A virtual blizzard was blowing outside but we had about ten people show up for worship that day.

For me it’s the principle of the thing. I sometimes say that when the grocery stores and hospitals close due to weather then we need to cancel Lord’s Day worship. I just don’t want people to think of church as an optional activity that we can do when the weather is agreeable. Up till last year I lived a mere mile from the church and could easily walk to the meeting-house no matter the conditions. Now I live about ten miles south of town and it might be a little more difficult to get in when the weather is bad.

If you sat at home and only listened to the tv or radio you would never venture out. They want people to watch so when it snows, even a little, they make it sound like a major natural disaster.

As it turned out Sunday, despite the relatively high volume of snow, the roads were largely clear and we had a good congregation gather (over 50 people made it in, including several guests). There is something special about snow Sundays. Things are more informal and relaxed. The worshipers share a camaraderie and closeness of experience. I am glad we gathered in the snow to worship last Sunday.