What Is Your Typical Sunday Like?

Samseau

Samseau

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Orthodox
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Curious here as to what others Sundays are like? The only way to reach heaven is to make Church a central part of one's life (commandant #1: Love God), so it's actually an extremely important topic.

Sunday is generally the most important day of the week for me. I look forward to service and prepare with a fast starting at midnight. I arrive to Church as soon as I can, but I have a long drive and sometimes I'm 10-15 minutes late. I usually need to use the restroom before heading into the narthex, donate $20 and light a candle. Then I head into the nave and quietly greet everyone I see along the way. I pretty much know everyone by name. I join my spot at choir and sing baritone as best as I can (not too good). While singing, I tend to reflect on my life and contemplate on my choices, while allowing the service to flood my mind with God.

After liturgy ends, I greet the Priest with a hug, and then stand off to the side to speak with everyone else as they pass through the nave. I catch up with family and friends, but I also keep a keen eye out for newcomers to make them feel welcome to the Church. I ask everyone if they will be attending coffee hour downstairs, and I always invite.

At coffee hour I sit with those who I haven't sat with in awhile. I make sure to keep up with everyone the best I can. I never bring up controversial topics unless they are brought up first, or unless I'm speaking with my guy friends. Conversation is healthy and I can stay up to two hours afterwards. I help clean up, take out the trash, and tidy up the kitchen. Finally, I say goodbyes to the Priest and head on home. I usually get home around 3-4 pm.

Sunday afternoons vary, I almost never work but sometimes I have to. I spend time with my girl or with friends if I've made plans. Sometimes I have family dinners at various houses. Sometimes, nothing is happening and I relax at home.

Overall the day goes by fast and by the end of it, I thank God for such beautiful days and pass out exhausted but completely satisfied.

What is your typical Sunday like?
 
Samseau said:
Curious here as to what others Sundays are like? The only way to reach heaven is to make Church a central part of one's life (commandant #1: Love God), so it's actually an extremely important topic.

Sunday is generally the most important day of the week for me. I look forward to service and prepare with a fast starting at midnight. I arrive to Church as soon as I can, but I have a long drive and sometimes I'm 10-15 minutes late. I usually need to use the restroom before heading into the narthex, donate $20 and light a candle. Then I head into the nave and quietly greet everyone I see along the way. I pretty much know everyone by name. I join my spot at choir and sing baritone as best as I can (not too good). While singing, I tend to reflect on my life and contemplate on my choices, while allowing the service to flood my mind with God.

After liturgy ends, I greet the Priest with a hug, and then stand off to the side to speak with everyone else as they pass through the nave. I catch up with family and friends, but I also keep a keen eye out for newcomers to make them feel welcome to the Church. I ask everyone if they will be attending coffee hour downstairs, and I always invite.

At coffee hour I sit with those who I haven't sat with in awhile. I make sure to keep up with everyone the best I can. I never bring up controversial topics unless they are brought up first, or unless I'm speaking with my guy friends. Conversation is healthy and I can stay up to two hours afterwards. I help clean up, take out the trash, and tidy up the kitchen. Finally, I say goodbyes to the Priest and head on home. I usually get home around 3-4 pm.

Sunday afternoons vary, I almost never work but sometimes I have to. I spend time with my girl or with friends if I've made plans. Sometimes I have family dinners at various houses. Sometimes, nothing is happening and I relax at home.

Overall the day goes by fast and by the end of it, I thank God for such beautiful days and pass out exhausted but completely satisfied.

What is your typical Sunday like?
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For me, it starts with Saturday. 4pm choir practice/help prep the church for Sunday liturgy. 5-8pm vespers. Light dinner. Sunday 9-11:30 liturgy. 12-2pm or even 3pm trapeza. Go home and chill, read, light dinner.
 
I've been going to a local Church lately looking for guidance and peace about some things that have troubled my life lately. It isn't the Church I grew up with it's a local Church as I've preferred not to have to stop and talk to a hundred different people when I go.

After that I'll usually pop into my warehouse for a little bit as it's down the street, just check on things.

Then I'll see what my family is doing and head over to my parents, I think I'm going to BBQ this Sunday over there.

After that I'll either visit with some relatives usually my aunts house as she has 9 kids so there is always some type of gathering going on and I love my cousins or go to my uncles restaurant if my uncles are congregated there, love sitting with my uncles shooting the shit. If not I'll just hit up my list of tasks and knock out what I can and head home. I don't normally workout on Sundays but if there is just nothing else I'll go do some cardio and cals just to say I was productive.


Honestly this summer other than search for a new business opportunity I haven't done much at all. I've really just been laying low trying to get things sorted out for myself as my life took a very drastic turn business and personal in the spring upending all my future plans and I've kinda just been mourning what I lost in solidarity even if it doesn't mean anything to do that, I feel like it's the right thing to do than to just pretend it didn't happen even if it's in silence. Maybe that's silly I don't know, it's not like anyone else cares right? I have to figure out my next moves which are going to be some big ones in regards to my future.
 
Go to church. Run the livestream. Talk with the Pastor. Schmooze with the others. I try not to turn every conversation into politics. Sometimes spend time with someone after church is over or head home and take a nap. Sometimes I go into Sunday on an all nighter, my work has me at odd hours sometimes. I think it's good to stay after the service is over, your local church is your family. Stay after and help clean up. Show up early and help set up. Also, leave room for others to serve you as well. You honor God this way, by loving those whom He redeemed.
 
I try go to church most Sundays but with my wife not being Christian sometimes I cant make every Sunday unfortunayely so I have to juggle, I try be on time but land up being about an hour to an hour thirty min late most Sundays, Im usually woken up with my kids coming to my bed, most Sundays they dont come with, I usually make everyone a drink in the mornings, clean up the kids bathroom, help dress the kids, feed all my animals, sometimes Im delayed because of all the hinderances at home stalling me and have to hear the occasional negative comment from my wife against me going to church if not before church then after church, I stop at petrol station to put fuel, if I have time the night before I do my preparation to partake of holy communion prayers by the icons in my garage or else I do them while in church or sometimes early in the morning if everyone is still asleep and I woke up on time.

I do keep the entire weekly fast and the Saturday midnight fast of no eating or drinking, During my 30 minute drive I will usually think about all the people and prayer requests I need to do when lighting my candles and I pray for my wife and children and my dead loved ones, I sometimes hold the prayer rope while driving and do the Jesus prayer to prepare myself for church, sometimes I play Orthodox chants in the car sound system.

I arrive at church and find my spot after lighting my candles, a greet very few people during this time, if Im alone I give all my focus and energy to the service, if Im with my kids I usually have to carry one of them the entire time in my arms and try control the others and get them to behave, be quite etc, sometimes they need the bathroom or to go outside if there services are longer than usual, after partaking of Holy Communion I will greet people on my way back to sitting down.

Most times I have to rush home after church because there is always something that needs to be done at home or somewhere we need to be or a shopping list my wife has sent me to pick up on my way home, I do stay for coffee as often as I can and talk to friends and sometimes my priest, now and then my godfather takes me for lunch but with my wife not being Christian I cant fully enjoy my Sundays and many times it can turn into a day of nagging or fighting from her side with me, this is a pain in my heart I have to carry, but Sunday is a great day for me I enjoy my Sunday church days and its terrible when I cant make church its just not the same, when this happens I will try go to a weekday service to make up for the loss.

Sometimes when my kids come with me to church I will buy them something to eat after we have had coffee and snacks at church, I also prepare all their drinking water bottles in the morning as they can get thirsty. After church when I get home I will usually have a coffee with my wife and try have somekind of a lunch, afyerwards I might play 10min video games with my kids if they were already home or we all go for a walk with the dog and the kids bikes or sometimes its a family members birthday event or an outing we have to attend, the grace of God always carries me after Church for the rest of the day, it is my favorite day of the week its a special day, a holy day, its a pleasant day for me.
 
Wonderful writeup to everyone, but especially GoodShepard. Brother, I am curious if you have been able to baptize your children?
 
Samseau said:
Wonderful writeup to everyone, but especially GoodShepard. Brother, I am curious if you have been able to baptize your children?
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No I have not been able to baptize my kids, keep in mind my wife is against me going to church and she is also against the kids going to church, my wife didnt even attend my baptism which is fine, my kids attended though, its a sensitive situation Im in so I need to be wise and take it slow and with lots of prayer and guidance, I obviously would love my kids to be baptized but Im not sure how to go around doing it with the situation Im in?

I still pray with my kids and they have their crosses and they know the our father off by heart and Iv spoken to them about creation and we have read the kids bible stories at bed time etc but this is not done as a family if you know what I mean, I cant force my wife to believe in God we cant force anyone it has to come out of their own will so I have to endure and keep praying for everyone, it feels like I practice my faith in secret most times at home, behind the scenes, my wife has no idea when I go do my prayers in the garage, the holy water, the holy unction oil, the incense, the books Im reading etc, now and then I will mention what the sermon at church was about like last week they spoke about the hand of Mary Magdelene thats still at body temperature and is venerated in mount Athos.
 
Like other Orthodox brothers, we prepare for Liturgy days in advance. We have choir practice on Saturdays usually. During this time we also make preparations such as changing the alter cloths, tidying up the narthex, prepping the hall for coffee hour/memorials, cleaning up the landscaping, etc.

Sunday morning I wake up usually by 7:00. I check the forum one last time before I close it until the afternoon.

I get ready and head to Church without my wife. She usually takes longer to get ready so we drive separately. Once there, I light a few candles, venerate the icons, and say prayers. I check the mics and make sure the sound is good. Change any batteries in the wireless mics. I greet the other chanter. We go over some of the Antiphons, Kontakions and Apolytikions (the special hymns for the service based on the Liturgical calendar).

We greet the priest and get a blessing before the service as chanters ☦️ . The two of us say prayers before the service.

We begin the service at the chant stand. Once Liturgy begins (usually after the petitions) we join the rest of the choir in the loft. We complete the service.

Today, we had a memorial service for those who have fallen asleep. We actually have a lot of those throughout the year so it actually is typical.

The choir and chanters wait until the end of the reception line (Antidoron, greet/receive Priest’s blessing, venerate cross) in order to receive Communion.

I head to the hall for coffee hour. I get coffee and water before any food. During this time I eat, greet, and catch-up with my fellow parishioners. We talk for hours. I usually head home between 1:30 or 2:00. The rest of the day is typical chores and errands.
 
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