	Back to Church Sunday
	The following was written by someone who recently returned to regular churchgoing after a long absence: How can you explain being an AWOL Christian for ten years plus, apart from some brief visits for Christmas, and the odd wedding and funeral! Well, prayer continues in its normal way, but you keep getting a message back which is saying ‘Look, I am glad you are still talking to me, but don’t you think it would be nice to visit my local home, and interact with some fellow Christians? Look, you like evening services, St Paul’s does one, once a month, give it a go for me; it’s only a short walk down the road. See you there; it’s what I want!’ So you finish a ten year plus absence and start a whole new experience. People stop going to church for many different reasons, such as moving away from a familiar and comfortable church or simply getting out of the habit. It has been said that the largest single group of Christians in the UK are those who have stopped going to church! The testimony above is clear evidence that, when people stop going to church, it is not always because they have lost their faith entirely. However the quotation also reflects the inner sense of loss, of something missing in life which many ex-churchgoers I have talked to over the years have expressed to me. I have also heard many other people who have come back to church after many years of absence wonder why it took them so long.	When people ask me, Is it possible to be a Christian without going to church? I always reply, Yes, of course it is. However people may think it a little strange for a season ticket holder at Manchester United never to attend a single match or for a paid up member of the local health club never to turn up, let alone break sweat! The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote the following to a group of Christians facing considerable opposition, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. For me, that hits the nail on the head – it is such an encouragement to meet with other Christians regularly, to share in the joy and wonder of worship and to hear the word of God. It certainly feeds me spiritually and strengthens my Christian faith week by week. September 30th has been designated Back to Church Sunday, and we can all play our part in offering people who haven’t been to Norbury for a while a very warm welcome back. We are holding a special morning service at 10.15am to include all ages; it promises to be a wonderful day! More details will be appearing in the church magazine and the Take Away, the church notice sheet. There are times in our lives when, for many reasons, God seems not be very real to us and our relationship with him grows distant. The good news is that he never forgets about us and loves and values us more than we will ever know this side of eternity. Back to Church Sunday might just be an opportunity to invite a friend back to Norbury or, if you have got out of the habit, to come back to church yourself. There will be the warmest of welcomes waiting for you! Rob Green
	Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325

Back to Church Sunday

The following was written by someone who recently returned to regular churchgoing after a long absence:

How can you explain being an AWOL Christian for ten years plus, apart from some brief visits for Christmas, and the odd wedding and funeral! Well, prayer continues in its normal way, but you keep getting a message back which is saying ‘Look, I am glad you are still talking to me, but don’t you think it would be nice to visit my local home, and interact with some fellow Christians? Look, you like evening services, St Paul’s does one, once a month, give it a go for me; it’s only a short walk down the road. See you there; it’s what I want!’ So you finish a ten year plus absence and start a whole new experience.

People stop going to church for many different reasons, such as moving away from a familiar and comfortable church or simply getting out of the habit. It has been said that the largest single group of Christians in the UK are those who have stopped going to church! The testimony above is clear evidence that, when people stop going to church, it is not always because they have lost their faith entirely.

However the quotation also reflects the inner sense of loss, of something missing in life which many ex-churchgoers I have talked to over the years have expressed to me. I have also heard many other people who have come back to church after many years of absence wonder why it took them so long.

When people ask me, Is it possible to be a Christian without going to church? I always reply, Yes, of course it is. However people may think it a little strange for a season ticket holder at Manchester United never to attend a single match or for a paid up member of the local health club never to turn up, let alone break sweat!

The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews wrote the following to a group of Christians facing considerable opposition, Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another. For me, that hits the nail on the head – it is such an encouragement to meet with other Christians regularly, to share in the joy and wonder of worship and to hear the word of God. It certainly feeds me spiritually and strengthens my Christian faith week by week.

September 30th has been designated Back to Church Sunday, and we can all play our part in offering people who haven’t been to Norbury for a while a very warm welcome back. We are holding a special morning service at 10.15am to include all ages; it promises to be a wonderful day! More details will be appearing in the church magazine and the Take Away, the church notice sheet.

There are times in our lives when, for many reasons, God seems not be very real to us and our relationship with him grows distant. The good news is that he never forgets about us and loves and values us more than we will ever know this side of eternity. Back to Church Sunday might just be an opportunity to invite a friend back to Norbury or, if you have got out of the habit, to come back to church yourself. There will be the warmest of welcomes waiting for you!

Rob Green

Back to Church Sunday

Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325