Oh come, all ye faithful
19.05.12
Every six years or so, the irony resurfaces: One of the holiest days of the year for Christians is not necessarily a popular day to go to church.
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year for the first time since 2005, compelling churches across San Joaquin County to condense Sunday services and to put more emphasis on Christmas Eve celebrations.
"We're not making a huge push for them to come back the next day. We want to fully allow people to be with their families," said Marc Guite, associate pastor at Tracy's Grace Church, which will hold only one Sunday service instead of the usual three.
"We talked about not having services (at all) but we realized there are people who don't have family they are connecting with.
"Their church is their family."
And besides, Christmas Eve is often the best time to reach out to "Christmas-and-Easter" Christians who attend church only two weeks a year, pastors say.
Source: Stockton Record