My son is learning how to ice skate.

Tuesday, December 04, 2001

My son is learning how to ice skate. I wish I could. Growing up in a desert left me with neither the desire nor opportunity. And so each Sunday afternoon we’re at the City Arena, where I sit in the bleachers while he’s on the ice. I can see him getting more relaxed and confident with each week of lessons and games. Most of the time I have fun, watching the kids, but one day it wasn’t nearly so pleasant, for me anyway.

Youth hockey games often end just before lessons start, and as we enter, the &uot;hockey people&uot; are leaving. That day, as we were going in and they were coming out, I overheard two adults talking about the hockey program. &uot;We meet Wednesdays and Sundays,&uot; one man was saying, &uot;because there’s not much else going on then.&uot; &uot;Yeah,&uot; said the other.

My first impulse was to get angry, and not just because I’m married to a pastor. How dare anyone think that there isn’t anything &uot;going on&uot; Wednesdays and Sundays? What about confirmation and other Wednesday church activities like choir practice or bible studies? What about Sunday morning worship services, Sunday School and other church and family-related activities? Nothing going on? Really?

But shivering in my seat while waiting for the lessons to end helped cool me off. It also gave me time to think.

I know some of the youth and adults involved in local hockey leagues, and they’re good people, some of them are even active church members. I can see how the program benefits the participants. But there can be a dark side, too. When we lived in North Dakota, there was animosity between church youth leaders and the organizers of youth hockey leagues, who held tournaments on Sunday mornings, with coaches allowed to punish players who missed a game to go to church.

I don’t sense that kind of conflict here, but there are reasons to be concerned, and it’s about more than just hockey leagues; we all seem less willing to honor the time people set aside for their churches. And it’s not like people are off &uot;sinning in secret&uot; instead of meeting at church. Many conflicts involve worthwhile activities. There is a meeting about drug abuse for youth and parents this Wednesday night. Some PTO meetings regularly take place on Wednesdays, as do many non-school related activities. Other organizations schedule activities on Sundays, with either travel or activity occurring during church time. And then there are all the restaurants and stores that need workers to stay open on Sundays, to service our needs for eating out and recreational shopping.

Churches themselves are among the main culprits for this situation, as so many have become more focused on simply surviving, and less able to provide a spiritual home for people. And unfortunately it is often more draining than uplifting to spend time at church worshiping God. The work of the church, it seems, is the responsibility of the &uot;paid staff&uot; while the rest of the members watch from the pews. It doesn’t have to be that way, but we seem unable to make the whole church experience more relevant and more uplifting.

Still, organizations that fill the Wednesday and Sunday &uot;holes&uot; in the weekly calendar left there by churches share the spotlight of criticism. If Wednesdays and Sundays are really the only &uot;open&uot; times each week, then maybe we’re all way too busy. But it’s also a matter of priorities. According to the 1990 census, 85 percent of the residents of Freeborn County claimed to be worshiping members of a local congregation. Unless that number changed significantly in the last ten years, that means those organizations are made up of members of churches, or at least people who claim to be. Where are their priorities?

How we spend our time, and our money, is a sign of what we value. Without a commitment from the community – individuals, families, organizations and employers – to the institutions responsible for carrying on the teachings of faith, both institutions and faith will atrophy and many churches will simply die for lack of participation.

But if those two men at the Arena were an indication of current popular opinion, then the majority of people don’t consider &uot;organized religion&uot; to be a priority anymore, and the disappearance of the churches in our midst will hardly be noticed.

David Behling is a rural Albert Lea resident. His column appears Tuesdays.