SDA Service time

[tampasteve]

I noticed that all of the SDA services in my area are at 11:00 am on Saturday and run until around 12:15 or so. Why 11am? None have earlier, or later services but they do have Bible study before the services sometime between 8 and 9. Is this typical?

 

[Gary K]

Hey Steve, long time no see.

Historical practice has been Sabbath School first and then the main church service. Sabbath School allows the average church member to participate in the study of scripture that normally follows a quarterly lesson plan published by the church. The main church service is normally the service during which a sermon is preached.

I say normally to both services because there are now Sabbath School classes which refuse to use the quarterly. And the main service is not always a sermon. It's sometimes a music service put on by various entities either within the denominational structure such as grade school, academy, or college choirs or bands, or even SDA singing groups. There can be quite a variety of main church services depending on the individual church even outside of musical services. It just all depends on the pastor and the people of that church. Overall the same service structure exists there is just quite a bit of variety within that structure..

There are also some large churches that have an early morning main worship service that will start early enough that it will be over by the time Sabbath School starts. It just depends on a lot of variables.

 

[tampasteve]

Thanks Gary! I wish that there were also later services, or earlier. My son always naps from around 11:30 am for a couple of hours, so we go to earlier services on Sunday or later afternoon services on Saturday if the church offers those, which most Lutheran churches do not. The same goes for Messianic Synagogues, they are always late Friday (7PM or later) or Saturday at 11am. Since my son goes to sleep at 7:30pm the Friday service is out as well. In time he will not sleep at those times and it will be possible again.

 

[Gary K]

Thanks Gary! I wish that there were also later services, or earlier. My son always naps from around 11:30 am for a couple of hours, so we go to earlier services on Sunday or later afternoon services on Saturday if the church offers those, which most Lutheran churches do not. The same goes for Messianic Synagogues, they are always late Friday (7PM or later) or Saturday at 11am. Since my son goes to sleep at 7:30pm the Friday service is out as well. In time he will not sleep at those times and it will be possible again.

I don't remember where you live, but if you're near any SDA college/university you might call the church associated with the school and ask if they have early morning services. The churches that i know that have early morning services are all associated with colleges and that makes the membership large and varied enough to support the two sets of services. There may be some large SDA church near you that may have one but it isn't advertised too. It won't do any harm to ask so give the local churches a call and ask if they do or know of a church that does.