From Norwalk-
For most members of the baby-boomer generation, Sunday was once a day that began with attending a church service. But times have changed.
Although many people have opted out of keeping worship on their Sunday schedule, clergy in Norwalk continue to encourage more people to worship.
Grace Episcopal Church, which has been a part of Norwalk since 1890, has seen the number of its worshipers decline in recent years as members died or moved away.
"It's like starting over again," said the Rev. Lois Keen, priest in charge, noting that following the 1950s and 1960s, many people just stopped attending church on Sunday. "All of us are trying to figure out what we are trying to do and be next."
Meanwhile, Grace Episcopal Church continues to reach out to the community. Bilingual services have been added on the last Sunday morning of each month. There also is an open air service at 2 p.m. on the last Sunday of the month for anyone walking by, which is aimed at helping people become more comfortable with Jesus in an informal setting. The church also offers a healing service of just prayers at 10 a.m. on the final Saturday of the month, which is attended by patients, family members and doctors from Norwalk Hospital, not far away from the church's location at Union Park and Mott Avenue.
"This is a time of transition. This is not new," said Keen. "It's happened before. This time it's just ramped up by the electronic age."
Other members of the clergy in the city also acknowledge that churches aren't bursting at the seams on many Sundays.
"Sunday has become just like any other day -- there are many things going on," said Robert Story, pastor of the Community Advent Christian Church.
The son of a preacher, he remembers memorizing the Psalms in school when he was growing up in Loudon, N.H.
"A lot of what we are is what were taught," he said, adding that since there has been a major shift in culture, what was accepted then is no longer.
More here-
http://www.thehour.com/story/484801
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