Note to parishioners: Save the halter tops and short shorts for a day at the lake. Don’t wear them to Mass.
That’s the gist of gentle reminders sent to Catholic parishioners in church bulletins across the state since the beginning of summer. Hot weather leads to skimpier clothing and poses a dilemma for some houses of worship. But it leads to a bigger question: What is proper attire for worship ? The answer depends on where you worship. Some churches proudly hold onto their past, refusing to be swayed by the casual fashions of the day. For those churches, suits and dresses are the norm. Others, however, are flip-flop-friendly, with a “come-as-you-are” attitude.
At Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church in Little Rock, members put on their Sunday best for worship. The historic, predominantly black church holds tight to the traditions of the past in matters of dress. On Sunday morning you’ll see spiffy suits and classy dresses. You might also see women wearing hats and corsages.
“That’s my background. I grew up putting on my Sunday best and have not broken with that tradition,” said the Rev. Robert Willingham, the church’s pastor.
Willingham said no one is turned away because of what they wear, but he doesn’t embrace the casual trend in worship.
“I cannot quite tie into the come-as-you-are [approach ]. Some people do that to get a crowd, but I think worship ought to be disciplined and we should present the very best we have, including our clothes, when we come to celebrate the ultimate intelligence of the universe,” Willingham said.
The dress code at Bella Vista Assembly of God is a bit more relaxed, even more so than some of its sister churches across the state. The Rev. Jonathan Watson said many Assemblies of God congregations are very traditional, but in Bella Vista the key is modesty, not what you wear.
“You don’t want your clothing to be a negative distraction,” Watson said. “We don’t care if it’s shorts, we just expect the clothing won’t be a negative distraction.”
Watson recommends that any piece of clothing with the world “spaghetti” in it is probably not appropriate, as in spaghetti strap dresses or blouses. However, many worshippers come to church in jeans and T-shirts and some in shorts, while others come in suits.
“We have retired executives who come in $ 3, 000 suits and working men in jeans and Tshirts, and they both seem very comfortable,” Watson said. “I value that for our fellowship.”
Watson said the goal is to worship the Lord, not to make a list of “dos” and “don’ts.”
“We just ask them when they are dressing to come to the house of the Lord to be sensitive... and use common sense.”
The Rev. Joseph Bittle, pastor at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Little Rock, addressed the issue of attire in a bulletin last month. “In Holy Attire” stated, in part, “a good start might be to worship the Lord ‘wholly’ attired. Modesty and appropriateness of dress for divine liturgy is not optional.”
Bittle said the issue of attire is complicated, especially for Orthodox, Episcopal and Catholic churches that offer worship or Mass several days a week. Folks stopping by after work or while out running errands won’t necessarily be dressed as they might on Sunday morning. That’s OK, he said, as long as they never lose sight of modesty.
But for Sunday worship, he encourages worshippers to move beyond their everyday attire.
“I would encourage folks on Sunday, being the Lord’s day and the primary day of worship, to choose to dress up a little bit,” he said.
Bittle said coats and ties aren’t necessary, however, because worship in the Orthodox church includes bodily postures, including prostration and kneeling.
“The issue isn’t the exact nature of the clothing, but that it communicates an awareness of the holiness of the day and place and the holiness of the activity,” Bittle said.
Bittle said clothing is important because it conveys an attitude.
“The business person in a suit and tie is communicating something. The punk rocker with the mohawk and piercings is communicating something,” he said. “Therefore the fact that we are worshipping is going to call forth from us a communication that doesn’t stop at our lips, but also is found in the way we dress. We want to communicate a sense of awe and reverence before God.”
St. Stephen Catholic Church in Bentonville recently had a reminder about proper attire in its bulletin as well. With Beaver Lake an easy drive away, the temptation is there to dress for a day of recreation rather than for worship, and the attire of some has been known to offend fellow worshippers. Complaints led to this year’s reminder. Parishioners were reminded that skimpy or revealing clothing is not appropriate for Mass.
The Rev. Mike Sinkler said he makes it a point to wear a suit every Sunday. If the temperature tops 90 outside, he’ll dispense with the suit coat. But that’s as informal as it gets for him.
“I do that because it helps me to remember who I’m encountering and what I’m doing and how important it is,” Sinkler said.
While Sinkler dresses formally, others are more relaxed. There is no dress code, but again, modesty and attitude are key.
“We would certainly never turn anyone away, but we can make an effort to dress well,” he said.
At Van Buren’s Trinity Episcopal Church, the unwritten dress code is rather broad. The Rev. Kevin Robinson said worshippers dress in everything from suits and dresses to jeans and cowboy boots. Occasionally some even wear shorts, although those are usually travelers stopping in while on vacation.
“Probably only once or twice have I thought someone was dressed inappropriately,” he said.
This week worshippers were even more casual than usual. They donned their “10 Reasons to be an Episcopalian” T-shirts for worship in a bit of fun. The 10 reasons were made up by comedian Robin Williams, who is an Episcopalian. An example is No. 6: All of the pageantry — none of the guilt.
For Jews, the matter of attire is addressed by tzniut, which in Hebrew means modesty. Rabbi Jack Zanerhaft of Congregation Etz Chaim in Bentonville said tzniut, however, refers to more than the clothes a person wears.
“It’s more of an overall attitude. It’s about respect, dignity, holiness, appropriateness,” he said. “So under that sort of general category when you come into a synagogue you are supposed to have this attitude of tzniut, especially in your dress.”
Zanerhaft said Jews are encouraged to dress in a way that would not cause others to think or act inappropriately, or cause others to sin. He said modesty in dress is supposed to highlight inner beauty, rather than outward appearances.
“Another approach is to think of your body as the house for your soul, and you want that outer covering to really reflect what’s in your soul,” Zanerhaft said.
Zanerhaft said standards of dress are changing in some synagogues. Clothing used to be dressy, but is now much more relaxed. He suggests dressing with respect for the occasion.
“In the synagogue the goal of prayer is to get to a point where you are in dialogue with God,” he said. “How do you want to look ?”
Zanerhaft said he suspects the trend toward more casual dress in churches is a way to attract more worshippers, especially those turned off by a suit and tie. He said comfort is important and he would prefer his congregants to be focusing on prayer rather than on how tight their tie is, but he does have concerns about where such casualness can lead — to a casual faith, for example.
“There’s a lot to be said by the message we send in our dress — the respect, dignity and holiness and seriousness with which you approach your spirituality begins with these outward markers,” he said. “We signal to each other what’s important.”
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