Regina minister welcomes part-time churchgoers at Christmas

For Christian churches across the world and in Saskatchewan, Christmas means the biggest attendance of the year.

Robert Kitchen is a minister at Knox-Metropolitan United Church in Regina. His church is full of Christmas decor awaiting a rare near full house.

"For Christmas Eve, we'll get 300, sometimes 400 (people)," Kitchen said.

An earlier service will bring in 200, so they are expecting 600 people to attend for Christmas. Kitchen said around 140 people will fill the pews on a regular service.

"Some people do come on Christmas Eve, Easter, other times of the year in order to fulfill, I guess, their religious yearnings," he said. "But it doesn't necessarily make them come back week after week."

Kitchen said those one-off church attendees might offend some, but not him.

"Some ministers are almost resentful of all the people that show up at Christmas," he said. "I say, 'No, all the more, let's have them come.' This is their good experience and hopefully something sinks in."

But Kitchen added he doesn't view this as a week to sell his church to the big crowd. He said it's rare that a once per year Christmas churchgoer becomes a regular.

This week is a celebration for anyone, whether they're back next week or not, he said.