For many Americans, Sunday is a day of rest. After a busy week of business transactions and work routines, it is a day to pause and focus on faith and family. However, it is not a day to waste away by doing nothing. It is a day for many to attend church and to worship with their local community. This notion is based on the Biblical account of creation when God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. For this reason, one day is set aside during the week as a day of rest and worship. On Sunday most department stores and business are closed for the day and only places of entertainment and culture may be open to the public.
Sometimes when we read the newspapers and watch TV, we get the false impression that American is an amoral society where people have no respect for family and religious values. This concept is often exploited by tabloid papers and the foreign press but nothing could be further from the truth. In spite of the apparent carefree attitude sometimes projected by the press, many Americans, especially those living in the rural areas and the deep south, are very traditional in their approach to life, family and religion. Sundays for them still become a time to attend their local church and to meet with their fellow parishioners. The church service becomes for them the center of their day's activities.
At the church service, a choir composed of members from the community sings hymns and songs and the preacher or minister delivers a sermon based on a passage from the Gospel. In some Christian churches there is also a communion service where a ritual remembrance of the Last Supper is reenacted in a fellowship which concludes the liturgy. After the service, which may last as long as an hour, the members of the congregation along with their pastor may meet in the parish hall to enjoy coffee and cake and to socialize together. This is also the time to exchange social greetings and ideas with one another, to become informed of the needs of the community, and to find out about the latest happenings in the parish.
Most churches may also distribute a small bulletin containing announcements of births, deaths and marriages within the community. There may also be additional short notices of special meetings to be held in the parish ,such as choir rehearsals,
senior citizen group activities and local scouting events. Upcoming parish events sponsored by the church also get ample notice. Such events may include a bake sale to collect money for shut-ins, a cook-out for the underprivileged in a local park, or a holiday trip to a local resort for members of the parish council.
Belonging to a church is important to many Americans because it helps to bring people together with others who share the same religious faith and family values.
It also helps to create a sense of the extended family and solidifies the community spirit and a sense of personal belonging. On the remainder of this day of rest, families are merged into closely knit units by getting together for a dinner at which one's own extended family is invited.
If one is not a regular churchgoer the day is still a chance to rest. It is spent visiting other relatives or friends, going to parks or attending ball games, museums or concerts. It is a time to enrich one's life through leisure and to prepare one's mind for the workweek to follow.