What I meant about what happens during Holy Communion is this: The deacons are so loud that it’s only when we finish that we hear it. People using our loud voices to mask their talking, so it’s only when we finish and they’re uncovered that we hear their talking and it’s so loud that it’s like a blast from the back!

What’s happening in churches these days is beyond ridiculous! Sometimes the noise at the back of the church is so much that I feel as if we’re running a nightclub at the back! Half the noise is from kids who are let loose by their parents; whatever happened to discipline? If you won’t teach them how to behave in God’s house when they’re young, then where and when will you ever teach them to behave? I remember when I was younger my dad used to pull me in line whenever I talked, why is it so hard to do that these days?

People talking during the liturgy, chewing gum during the liturgy, then during Holy Communion a total lack of respect. The deacons in our church are pretty loud during the Communion hymns so when Abouna finishes and is about to dismiss the angel, the noise from the back blasts you! The talking is so loud that it’s almost like the people are outside yelling to each other. It’s absolutely disgraceful!

And our church has the EXACT same problem with cleaning. Yeah they clean the carpets and the floor but the cupboards, the benches, the Sanctuary and the rooms next to them are a complete MESS! Everyone just does whatever they want without telling anyone else; so as a result, whatever we tried to organise goes missing the next week putting us right back at square 1.

But, I have to add, our Committee aren’t just collecting money. So in that regard we have SOME improvements (can’t say they’re doing their job, but their not failing miserably either).

We can only pray to God that such problems disappear so that His house can be a source of blessing not anger and annoyance. As St. Paul says when giving instructions as to how the Church should be run: “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” (1 Corinthians 14:33)

Every ethnic community has its faults, but when it comes to their Churches all others but ours have nothing but upmost respect.
I’ve experienced some other Churches, I occassionally attend church services with friends from other Christian backgrounds, and every time I leave wishing that our Church was more like theirs. Walk into other Churches and you will see it for yourself, it’s nothing but upsetting.

During the service no chatter can be heard, children sit next to their parents without fidgetting and the experience is always a good one…even for me who is not of my friends’ same Christian background.

More often than not, when I attend a service at our Church I leave annoyed. Children, as well as adults are constantly fidgetting, making noise and moving about, and the Santuary (where I often try and go to escape this) is full of people also fidgetting, moving about and making noise.

So what is one to do? What’s the point of me coming to Church if I’m going to leave annoyed?

You know what, I hate doing this, but I am going to lay the blame here on the Parish Fathers. Because they do nothing to stop it. They allow the noise, the fidget and noisy kids moving in and out of the Santuary. All it takes is a few harsh words to put people in line, but that never happens, so the noise gets worse and people are now used to being disrespectful because no one has ever told them to stop. So I’m sorry Abouna’s, but its not going to change unless you all collectively do something about it.

And it’s not just about the noise either, its about the dirty, untidy, unmaintained Church grounds with shoddy construction everywhere. The cupboard in the Santuary with the vestments always looks like a hurricane went through it, the candle shrines at the back of the Church are disgusting with sand and wax everywhere, the whole Church is messy and dirty and whenever anything seems to be built or maintained it always seems to be of poor quality labour and materials. I mean seriously, what use is the Church committee if they don’t attend to these things. I’m sorry, but all they seem to do is sit at the back of the Church during Sunday liturgy and collect money. There are collection boxes all around the Church for that, if this is the committee’s only function then we may as well not have one.

So no! Egyptian’s don’t care!! They treat their Church with utter disrespect!!

What are I doing just sitting back and complaining you are probably asking yourself right now. The noise I can’t do anything about…approach me in terms of providing proper maintenance, or construction and I’d be more than happy…

Anyway, that’s enough from me…now start clicking away on the negative votes…

Btw, the Egyptian community has its faults, as we are all painfully aware lol, but I think it is as diverse as any other community. And I think most ethnic Churches are like ours actually (no proof admittedly).

I do have difficulties with loud children too, but I read some articles long ago about how mothers are not inclined to bring their children to Church, because they are afraid that their kids will embarrass them. This might partly explain your experience in other Churches. So I think some sympathy is at hand, but you are right too. But it is a bit more complicated than simply respect and discipline.

And we do care. Problem with distancing from a community man, is you get a distorted understanding of them. Your swift generalizations, I know are not to be taken so strictly, but I don’t think it represents a very good number of parishioners who do care about the noise.

Anyway, Angela and Sandy, whether I have children or not is beside the point, it doesn’t make me ignorant. You see parents in Church with children who are so well behaved and then you see other parents who just let their children fidget and annoy everyone around them. It’s all about knowing how to discipline your children. You can still make your children feel at ‘home’ at Church while still teaching them to respect it and behave.
I know when I was a child I was taught to sit next to my mother and not make a sound…just because it’s my ‘home’it doesn’t mean I can do what I like!..it can be done!
Walk into any other Church and you will not hear a sound, whether there are children there or not…Egyptians just don’t care…which is also why our churches are so poorly maintained and dirty and filled with shoddy construction and handywork….

That’s what I think….whether it’s a popular opinion or not….

Nicely put Angela although I doubt a Blog would help those who haven’t experienced it understand the difficulties in taking care of children. As parents we just have to remind ourselves that perhaps they will understand one day and like us wonder that we ever thought we were in a position to judge.