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10 Things To Do When You Really Dont Want To Go To Church

Do you ever find yourself laying there in bed on a Sunday morning, thinking that you just don’t want to go to Church? We all get moments like this…  at least we hope it isn’t just us. But if you find yourself not wanting to do Church. Please find below our ten top tips on what to do in this situation.
And please remember, as always, that we cannot be held responsible if any of these tips end up with you either going to hospital, losing your job, dying, being molested by squirrels, or anything else you might find unpleasant, oh and going to church.
  1. Stay in bed, its warm there. Its cold outside.
  2. Consider playing football…
  3. Sit on the sofa, watch match of the day again and drink a beer (we know it’s early, but you do get wine at church…)
  4. Netflix. Binge Watch. Repeat.
  5. Its a sunny morning. Get outside. Enjoy it.
  6. *Snooze*
  7. Check out Church Live on Twitter. Actually all joking aside, you should probably do that anyway. Its a fairly awesome project that is aiming to broadcast services from different churches using the Periscope app.
  8. Make use of that gym membership you paid for ages ago
  9. Turn up for church for coffee at the end and pretend that you’d been there the whole time (please note: you may need to read the notice sheet from last week just in case someone questions you about the sermon i.e. the preacher)
  10. Just go to Church. It might do your soul some good. But no promises.
Any other ideas to add to the above?
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Sleeping in a box

Here’s a little something I wrote a couple of years back. Please forgive if some of it reads a little “unedited”. Most of this was written early morning, while inside a box.

It’s approaching two in the morning of the YMCA Sleepeasy event, and I’m tired. Yet I didn’t really fancy the idea of bed. Maybe it was the light, maybe the noise, perhaps it was the idea of trying to clamber into my “house” that you can see on the right hand side.

So, I kick off my boots, lean down, drag my sleeping bag out, just to see my loving crafted house fall to pieces on me. Leaving the bigger box standing, feeling uninspired to start again I wiggle into place. I lay down, very aware of the concrete underneath, shuffling around trying to blot out the light in front of me, leaning to my side… I’m aware of a church tower somewhere chiming that its two in the morning.

It was at this point that I realised, that I was now more awake than I was when this whole box thing started. More photos were taken, tweets were read, web pages scanned, and I opened my eyes again.

Before I knew it, that church tower was chiming for three o’clock.

At some point after three I went back to sleep “properly”. At somepoint I closed my eyes, and drifted off.

It was at 4:49 when I woke up. Rain thundering down on the shelter over us, my nose well and truly blocked up, and very aware I was in a cardboard box.

Very awake, very aware I was in a cardboard box, and oddly angry at the injustice of people needing to wake up like this. As I was laying there wondering what to do between actually getting up, and having breakfast, I wondered how we all got into a state where we accepted the fact that people have no choice but sleep rough on our streets, scared and sleep deprived, simply existing from one moment to the next

It all made me wonder how long I could survive on naff all sleep, spending my time waiting for something to happen.

Look, I’m not going to say that the SleepEasy event was anything really like sleeping rough for any length of time: For starters we were secure, we had people awake and watching over us, bacon rolls, there was a shelter over our heads, and we knew that no matter how long the night was, we had a home to go back to.

If you get a chance, look out for SleepEasy events next year, and have a sample of what it’s like waking up in a box.

This year Mrs Sofa, Anne Mackay is not only taking part in Sleepeasy, but also spending her first night away from Lil Sofa. She’d love it if you could sponsor a few quid to help motivate her during the early hours. You can sponsor her over at my.artezglobal.com.

Alternatively, do you fancy joining in?

Here’s a sample of last years event:

Find out more, and sign up at exeterymca.org.uk

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Will you take a stand against youth homelessness?

church Sofa

We’ve been given some details of this years Exeter YMCA Sleepeasy event happening in the Guildhall
Shopping Centre:

Whats Sleepeasy?

Sleep Easy is a national event that YMCA’s up and down the country will be participating in. Last
year over £200,000 was raised by over 1,500 brave participants. The Exeter event, now in its third
year, calls on members of the community to spend ‘one night sleeping rough, so others don’t have to’
and this year Exeter YMCA is hoping to attract its largest number of participants yet.

Whats happening?

Exeter YMCA is calling for people to take a stand against youth homelessness by joining up to
500 others for the biggest ever sponsored sleep out event in the charity’s 20 year history. Since its
opening in September 1993, Exeter YMCA has accommodated and supported over 500 homeless
young people. On average a young person stays at the YMCA for a year, giving them time,
with the right support, to overcome the issues that led to their homelessness and build positive
futures.

Exeter YMCA’s event organiser, Tom Wyatt, says: “It would be wonderful to have 500 members
of the public sleep out with us and also quite symbolic – as it would represent really closely the
number of homeless people we have housed since we opened 20 years ago.”

Who is involved?

Exeter YMCA’s Community Relations Manager, Sophie Hodge, says:

“As we celebrate our 20th anniversary we would love to make our Sleep Easy event the biggest
ever! We are confident that with the support of the Exeter community we can make it happen.”

The campaign has already attracted the attention of Exeter’s business community with support
from thebestof Exeter, a local networking forum and Gilbert Stephens LLP Solicitors, who have
also selected Exeter YMCA as one of their nominated charities in 2013.

Philip Luckham, CEO for the Devon-based law firm, comments: “We are really pleased to be
supporting such a great campaign and look forward to helping drum up as many participants as
possible from our extensive network of professional contacts. We already have some interest from
staff members and we hope the event will help bring the issue of homelessness in the region to the
forefront of people’s minds.”

Why?

The event will not only raise awareness of youth homelessness in Devon but will also help raise
vital sponsorship to continue Exeter YMCA’s work providing 15,000 nights of accommodation and
support a year to homeless young people in Devon.

Dave Barr from thebestof Exeter says:

“I will be sleeping out with the YMCA because I want to make a difference in the lives of young
people who have had the worst possible start in life. I’m hoping that many small local businesses
will join me.”

Any other details?

The event will start at 8pm on Saturday 16th March and finish at 7am the next day. Teas and coffees will be available
throughout the night to keep people warm.

For more information or to register online, visit www.sleepeasyexeter.org.uk. Alternatively call
event organiser Tom on 01392 410530, email events@exeterymca.org.uk, or text “sleep” to 07535
463178 and Tom will call you back.