Lafayette Journal and Courier

Ministers see holiday as time to reach out to 'Chreasters'
By Bob Scott , Journal and Courier

March 25, 2005

This weekend, churches will see the return of C&E Christians, or "Chreasters" -- people who generally only worship on Christmas and Easter.

For local pastors, Easter -- the holiest day of the Christian calendar -- is an opportunity to impress those who don't regularly attend church.

"It is a welcomed pressure to reach out to people to help them connect," said Pastor Paul Barrett of Second Baptist Church. "Easter is one of the biggest days for outreach to people who don't regularly come to church."

Across the nation, overall church attendance increases about 25 percent on Easter, said Jim Davidson, a Purdue professor of philosophy and religion. "For Catholics, it goes up 33 percent, while Protestants see a 20 percent increase."

Fred and Lillian Phillips of Lafayette were raised as churchgoers but said their most recent visit to church was a year ago. They plan to take her elderly mother to Armstrong Chapel in Warren County on Easter Sunday.

"Politics and religion start more arguments than anything," he said. "I don't have anything against religion.

"I go to different churches to see what they do. On main holidays, we go to different denominations."

He said they might attend the 6:45 a.m. Easter sunrise service at Riehle Plaza in downtown Lafayette.

Fred Phillips said he left a Methodist church because members were unforgiving of an adulterous affair between two other people.

"My problem is not with a church, but the people," he said. "The church is involved with people who seem to have non-Christian alliances.

"I've been hesitant about joining any group. The churches are in turmoil."Barrett said Second Baptist is glad to see more people in the pews, no matter the reason.

"If it takes Easter for them to be there, I welcome the opportunity," he said. "Whatever it takes."

Second Baptist will have extra singing and a special drama at 5 p.m. Sunday. An overflow crowd of 300-plus is expected at the Easter morning service. To handle the anticipated crowd, a closed-circuit telecast will be carried to people in the church's fellowship hall.

"Some people show up for Easter and think it is the same ol' same ol', " Barrett said. "But they come and see the excitement. It may re-kindle new interest."

The Rev. Daniel Gartland agreed.

"I know there are people who only come on Christmas and Easter," said Gartland, the pastor of St. Lawrence Catholic Church and the head of the Lafayette Deanery. "I'm glad they are in the church and still consider themselves Catholic and Christian. I want them to feel comfortable and at home in our church."

The Rev. Catherine Moran, pastor of Elston Presbyterian Church, said church is not a "spectator sport."

"It is something to participate in. They must feel drawn to be there," she said. "It is all about finding that sense of home and family.

"You know that is where you are meant to be."

She said that a normal Sunday service has about 75 people in attendance. On Easter, it rises to more than 100.

"What they see on Easter morning is what we do all year," Moran said, adding that Easter and Christmas offer people hope.

"We give people a picture of a God being a loving, caring God," she said. "Hopefully, they will continue to come. Maybe it will spark some interest.

"I let them know there is no judging where I'm at. If you feel it (the spirit), come in. If not, find it somewhere else."

Plenty of room

Moran said the Sunday after Easter is usually the year's smallest attendance at her church.
"People often will say, 'We've gone on Easter, and I can take the rest of the year off,' " she said with a laugh.

Pastor Peg Nowling of First Baptist Church calls that day "low Sunday."

"At my church in Rochester, New York, we put a sign out front that said, 'Open between Easter and Christmas,' " she said.

Nowling said many people view church on Sunday as an "option."

"My suspicion is that people aren't finding time for church," she said. "They keep saying, 'I know I should be at church because I would get something out of it.'

"They tell me that they are tired and want to sleep."

For Nowling and others, the Easter message is simple.

"The Resurrection is hope," she said. "People come because they know what the message will be."