In Columbia, religious congregations have plans in store to celebrate various end-of-year holidays, while also making room for larger conversations. Religious attendance and participation have declined nationally, with nearly all faiths taking a hit.
On a given weekend, three in 10 U.S. adults attend religious services which is a nearly 12% drop since two decades ago, according to a 2024 Gallup survey.
This drop in attendance is something that Josh Burrell, Director of Marketing and Communications at Missouri United Methodist Church, saw following the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said he believes this is due to people getting familiar and comfortable with online church services. However, the church is finding recovery after the decline.
“We're actually starting to see more of an uptick compared to the last three or four years, as people are coming back, and I think getting getting more used to being in public spaces,” Burrell said.
With the uptick, he said the church plans on making changes to support this growth in the future.
“So, we are actually trying to really make a push to to upgrade things like our website, signage within the church, things like that, so that it is much easier for someone who is a first time person to be less intimidated,” Burrell said.
Burrell said it can be intimidating to go into a new unfamiliar space and these efforts are meant to quell that intimidation. He said his congregation will offer check-ins with churchgoers who want more socialization outside of services, as well as offering low-contact ways for people to worship alone.
With the holiday season approaching, Missouri United Methodist Baptist Church is having four Christmas Eve services: at 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Burrell described the 5 p.m. service as family-friendly with a children’s book reading and child sermon. At the the 11 p.m. service, communion will be offered.
Burrell said holiday services tend to be the church’s most popular. This makes these events key in attracting new attendees and fostering community. The Christmas holiday can be both easy and inviting, as well as hard for those going through difficult times or unable to go home for the holidays.
“And so just being with people, being in a community, even if you're not super involved in that moment, I think can be a really good thing for the soul. So, we would just invite people to come out and experience that,” Burrell said.
Those big crowds may also tithe significant amounts. Burrell said the church plans to donate 100% of its Christmas Eve offerings to Wilkes Boulevard United Methodist Church and COMO Mobile Aid. The two organizations reach the unhoused and those in need.
“Money is a big important thing for everybody, and so for us to be able to give 100% of that offering away to those organizations is something that not only we as a church staff take pride in, but also, the congregates as well,” Burrell said.
Despite national declines in religious attendance, Rabbi Avraham Lapine said the Chabad Jewish Center of MU and Mid-Missouri has seen an increase in the student Jewish population.
“This past semester, a lot of students came to our doors. More than usual, actually, more. It increased,” Lapine said.
He said a lot of Jewish students are seeking community with the rise in antisemitism.
“So, they want to come together with other people of their background, they feel safe and secure,” Burrell said.
This rise in anti-Jewish sentiments has been attributed to Israel’s war in Gaza.
More than 42% of Americans either have friends or family who dislike Jews or find it socially acceptable for a close family member to support Hamas according to the 2024 Antisemtic Attitudes report from the Anti-Defamation League's Center for Antisemitic Research.
With Hannukah approaching, the center has decided to host an ice-carving menorah event in front of Columbia’s City Hall on Dec. 26 at 5:30 p.m. At the event, a menorah will be carved out of ice and then set on fire. Lapine said the center has never done this before and he believes it is especially important with the rise in antisemitism.
“We want to stand strong and proud of our Judaism, not to be intimidated by all the rise of antisemitism in the world and the rise of Israel hatred that we put it,” Lapine said. “That's what we like to do, especially menorah lighting, which symbolizes all about lights, about love, exploring darkness.”
Lapine said the significance of lighting the menorah in public is an extension of being proud and strong in faith without fear.
“We want to show that nothing's going to intimidate us and make us good, and we're going to stand proud Jews and proud of our faith,” Lapine said.
The event is open to the public with hot cocoa and treats will be provided.
This time of year also means a demand for Hannukah supplies from the center. A lot of times, Lapine said, people reach out to the center looking for candles for Hannukah menorahs since there is not a big Jewish community in Columbia or a local Judaica religious store.
“There's not so much availability. So we get, actually, a lot of people who are not so active, will come and reach out to us for menorahs or our candles, or any Hanukkah supplies,” he said.
For those seeking supplies, Lapine said the center’s website is a resource. The center will also host a pre-Hannukah event at Daniel Boone Regional Library on Dec. 22 where children can make Hanukkah crafts.
