Cell Phone Violations in Church

I've never quite understood why people don't turn their cell phones off when they go to church. I can't remember a weekend that's gone by that I haven't heard at least one cell phone go off during the middle of a service at GCC. It seems like they never ring at a good time either. They either go off at a very poignant moment or during a prayer. Cell phone violations in church, what 'cha gonna do!

There is often a reminder on the announcements that scroll on the side screens as people enter the auditorium at GCC reminding them, as a courtesy, to turn off their cell phones. Yet it doesn't seem to happen. I think our announcements are very dynamic and creative. Does that mean they're not getting read?

What's even more frusting to me is the phone that rings and rings and rings. Is this person thinking that if they ignore it maybe it will stop? Or is it just buried so deep in a purse that it can't be retrieved. Guess that sounded a little sexist. Let me rephrase and say....or maybe it's buried so deep in a purse or pocket that it can't be retrieved. There, hopefully I've redeemed myself.

Little did I know that this past weekend I would become a cell phone violator in the 5:30 service at GCC. Usually I don't even take my phone with me to church. I figure thats one hour of my life that I can miss a call. I don't know why, but my phone was hooked to my pocket when I walked into GCC this day, so I just turned the volume down to vibrate and shoved it back on my pocket.

We met some friends and sat with them near the back of the auditorium for service. Mark's message was captivating as usual and the offering song special had just finished. The house lights came back up and Mark ascended the stairs to the stage to pray and dismiss us. All of a sudden I'm hearing something that sounds like Christmas music. I think I'm losing it. Then I realize its coming from none other than my own pocket! How could this be? My phone was on vibrate.

"March of the Sugar Plum Faeries" from the Nutcracker was blaring from my pocket. I was absolultely mortified! I reach down to my pocket and the phone clip is hooked on something and I can't get the phone out of my pocket. I've got a ballet going on in my pocket and I cant get the main dancer out. Finally I get the phone out and for a moment my mind went blank as to how to get it to stop. My wife and our friends are looking at me and just cracking up. I was just staring at the phone and the music just kept blaring away. Finally I came to my senses and opened and shut the phone to turn it off, hanging up on whoever was calling. I had become one of my own pet peeves, a cell phone violator in church!

When service finished, I held my head low so as to not be recognized as the one who's cell phone was ringing during the ending prayer, and made my way out to the atrium. Where are those dark glasses when you need them! I flipped open my phone and found the recent received calls to see who I'd hung up on. It was a friend of ours whom we were suppose to meet between services to talk about our picnic arrangements for the baptism on Sunday. Yes, they knew we would be at the first service! I pressed re-dial and when they answered the first thing they said was "you hung up on me!" I replied "because we were still in service!" I told them how I was freaking out and recounted the whole embarassing story. We laughed so hard.

Its Tuesday and I still don't understand what happened and why my phone rang. My regular ring tone is the theme song to "I Love Lucy" and if anything we should have heard that little jingle. Oh Yeah, I have my holiday ring tones, doesn't everybody, but they definitely were programd to be on now. And furthermore my phone was on vibrate, it shouldn't have made a peep.

I think I now have a little more compassion for the person who's cell phone goes off in church. I doubt that everyone who's cell phone goes off in church experiences what the trauma I did, but I now firmly believe that its very possible that when cell phones go off it is beyond our control! But believe me...I'm not relying on the vibrate setting on my phone anymore....OFF or left in the car is the only answer.

Cell phone violators in church, what 'cha gonna do!