From The Washington Post-
Sunday services were starting in 15 minutes at Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church, and Pastor Andrew Walton was alone in the carpeted common area, marking up a program with a highlighter. At this time of the week, the space is normally a crazy intersection of kids and adults.
But this was Christmas. The only sounds in the room were the hum of a coffee maker and the organist practicing upstairs.
“The staff is on vacation, and we wanted to give families some time at home,” Walton said, explaining why the typical schedule had been altered. With Sunday School canceled and a small crowd expected at the 11 a.m. service, Walton jettisoned his sermon and asked congregants to share stories.
Smaller Sunday crowds on Christmas? Seems counterintuitive. But the confluence of the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth with the conventional church-going day actually proved a conundrum for many pastors.
A new poll by LifeWay Research shows that about 10 percent of U.S. Protestant pastors canceled Sunday services this Christmas. Many others had abbreviated or altered services. Some said they would use the smaller crowds to give their second-string clergy a chance to practice.
More here-
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2011/12/25/gIQAEuvtHP_story.html
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