Keeping the faith: How some churches stay busy after Christmas

For many Christians, attending church is a biannual tradition on two major holidays: Christmas and Easter but many churches would like to see people in pews for the other Sundays of the year.

"We had over 600 people," said Karen MacCannell, a pastoral associate at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, a Catholic church in Cornwall, P.E.I.,of Christmas weekend.

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MacCannell said big crowds are typical at Christmas and Easter, where they need set up extra seatingand even an overflow room in the church basement.

But it's not so much the case the rest of the year.

"It definitely fluctuates," said MacCannell.

An open invitation

When it's not a holiday, MacCannell said the parish offers educational programs, such as bible to study, to encourage peopleto participate.

And she says they also offer children's programs.

"It's not about recruiting, it's about inviting people and always being open," said MacCannell.

Rev. Andrew Bryce of theSummersideCommunity Church saidcreating a strong sense of community encourages people to attend servicesall year round.

The nondenominational church features contemporary music, open mic performances andgroup discussions.

"If people make friends right away then they're going to come back," said Bryce.

Staying relevant

Brycesaid he typically sees more than 300 people at Sunday servicebut emphasizes that's not the church's focus.

"I don't think God takes attendance. I think the big thing is that people are feeling relationally connected," he said.

Brycesaid he thinks people atSummersideCommunity Church stay interested all year round because he tries to keep the servicescurrent.

"It's just aboutstaying relevant and trying to find unique ways to engage people," he said.

Engaging all ages

Brycesaid he also thinks engaging people of all ages creates a wider outreach.

"We are very sensitive to the fact that the church is always supposed to be multi-generational," he said."That's a huge challenge in this day and age because most organizationscater to one demographic."

MacCannellalso saidwhile it would nice to see more people all year round at St. Francis Assisi parish, there will be always be a service no matter what.

"The show will always go on, whether there's one person sitting in the pew or 600 sitting in the pew," said MacCannell.

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