During the 10 a.m. worship hour Sunday, Sept. 17, Cassopolis United Methodist Church will join 10,000 churches nationwide to celebrate Back to Church Sunday. Doors will be open to those who have taken a summer vacation from church to those who haven’t stepped foot in the door of a church for years.
Everyone will be welcomed: all people, all faiths.
The Back to Church campaign is designed to assist churches in answering the question “What would it take for people, who at some time in their lives attended church, to come back?” Research indicates less than one in five Americans attend church on a regular basis.
Almost 8 million — 150,000 per week — leave churches each year. LifeWay Research conducted a survey of formerly  churched adults in America and learned some of the reasons people leave organized houses of worship which include:
• Change in life situation — One-third of the formerly churched believe they are simply too busy for church
• Disenchantment with the church — 37 percent of the survey respondents reported being disillusioned with the church, specifically perceiving the pastor to be judgmental, insincere and lacking good preaching abilities
• The unloving church — 45 percent of the respondents said people in the church were also judgmental and hypocritical
The research also found that 62 percent of the unchurched said that they were willing to return. Another 41 percent reported if a friend invited them, they would return.
Almost a third of the formerly churched mentioned that if they were to return to church, they would want to be part of a local body where they can make a difference.
Many of the formerly churched said they’d want to return to a church in which people held the same moral standards as they themselves held.
The Cassopolis United Methodist Church, 209 S. Rowland, invite everyone and anyone Back to Church on Sunday, Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. Child care and children’s program will be available as well as hot coffee, a warm handshake and an invitation to get to know God in a real and personal way.