Can we please not schedule youth sports on Sunday mornings?

Dear Hardworking Volunteer Parents Who Run the Sports Programs in Shrewsbury, 

Can we please find a way to not schedule games on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.? I realize that putting together a schedule for one of the largest youth sports programs in the area must be a total nightmare, but there has to be another way.

Here’s why I ask. My family is a member of the First Congregational Church in Shrewsbury and our services are at 9:30 a.m. Sunday mornings. That’s it. There is no other service. Unlike you lucky Catholics who have multiple masses on a weekend, those of us of other denominations don’t. So, when you schedule games at 8:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m.–my family doesn’t get to go to church.

I know church doesn’t seem as important anymore, numbers are dwindling, the “day of rest” is all but forgotten, I can even buy Chardonnay on Sundays. But, believe me, with the current state of the world and all the dilemmas we face (see prior blogs) I need my weekly spiritual hit. Last little league season we missed church for six weeks. We needed to choose between weekly service or supporting our kid and his team. You can’t really be in little league and miss the games. What’s an earnest family to do?

In signing up our boy for football, we looked at the schedule of games, and guess what? - lots of Sundays at 9 a.m. So if our kid wants to play football and baseball in this town, we can only count on a winter and summer season of church.  Hardworking schedulers, that’s simply not acceptable. And of course, we’re not the only members of First Congregational Church with this problem.

So, I ask kindly, with arms out for a hug (to prevent you from wanting to strangle me), please, find a way to schedule games outside of church-going time for the many residents of Shrewsbury. We, and God, thank you. 

Sincerely,

Karla Evers
Spiritually Bereft Parent