Needy.

Every couple of years, around this time, our local newspaper prints letters to the editor from local clergy bemoaning the fact that kids don't attend Sunday morning programs. Usually they blame organized sports programs that meet on Sunday mornings. This week it happened again. My reaction on reading the letters was "That's incredibly needy. It's downright embarrassing, in fact."

The letters both succeeded in sounding like an actor or musician who was complaining because not enough people bought tickets to their show, or a businessperson who was complaining that insufficient customers came to their place of business. They were evocative of a tenth grade girl bemoaning the fact that no one had come to their party.

First, some practical advice: you do NOT increase the attractiveness of your product by complaining in the media that people prefer other products (e.g. youth hockey) to yours. When you do so, you make even your loyal customers wonder exactly what is so wrong with your product that you need to make such a public protestation.

Interesting: in re-reading both letters for what must be the 10th time, I noticed that only one of them was actively engaged in bashing youth sports and the volunteers who run them for taking "their" Sunday morning time slot. The other letter simply pointed out that church belonged in people's lives, and mentioned Sunday morning worship as one of the many things that churches do. (No issue at all with that point of view, by the way -- but the bad karma from the blast at youth sports in one letter carried over to the other letter, even for someone like me who pays a whole lot of attention to this sort of thing).

Hopefully it's unnecessary to mention that usually when youth sports leagues meet on Sunday mornings it's because it's the only time that a facility and needed volunteers can be available. Clergy: it's not about you.

Here's a radical suggestion: Do NOT fight Sunday morning sports leagues. Praise and publicize the kids in your church who participate and laud their accomplishments right in church. If you know that the team is playing a championship game while you're holding a service, pray out loud for the kids, for the team, for the opposition, and for those who help with youth sports. (After all, they're not in church, so they need your prayers, don't they?)

Two reasons: (1) it was the pharisees who were hung up on formal adherence to religious practice in the temple, not Jesus. (2) you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.