What's in it for me and WHY should I have to go to Church?

Peter writes:

I have been asked this question a number of times and I too have stopped to wonder why occasionally. Many of our Churches are cold, damp (even in the Summer) and regretfully so often, uninviting and unwelcoming, but then I am reminded that Jesus calls us to live as a community of God and you know if we only look a little closer, there is much to celebrate here. The church is a place where we not only meet with God but also with each other. This can be the place to share a problem, a prayer and to give something of ourselves to others. Did you know that there are people in YOUR congregation who come to church simply for the hour or so of companionship and to be with other people, because so often this is their only contact with people? There are so many other reasons to go to Church but to be with God our Father, our creator in His house is a real blessing that we shouldn't miss out on or ignore.

As I thought how I could answer this question more fully, I found among my papers the following article which I think sums it all quite nicely

A Churchgoer wrote a letter to the editor of the newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

"I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

EXTRA NOTE:

Whilst we are Protestants belonging to the Church of England Anglican Communion, we believe that it is good to have a variety of "church" experiences. There many types of church and "denominational" differences even between protestants, but this is not to be frowned upon, frightened of or avoided. It is healthy to have a broad understanding of these differences so we can live in the love of God with each other. It is not our aim to discuss this issue in detail on this site but we would certainly encourage you to visit a few different ones to gain that valuable experience. If you are in this parish then any of our ministry team will be able to help you on these matters, if you are outside the area then we would direct you to your local pastor, priest or vicar who will again be able to help you.