Church launches 4pm Sunday service to allow parishioners a lie-in

Rev Mark Montgomery, of St Gabriel's in Kings Hill, is offering a special 4pm Sunday church service twice a month to allow people to have a lie in before praying. Photo / Facebook

A Church of England reverend has moved its "morning" service to 4pm on Sundays, so worshippers can recover from hangovers, however, his new services will clash with major Premier League football games.

Rev Mark Montgomery, of St Gabriel's in Kings Hill, near Maidstone, Kent, said that the 4pm start would give worshippers that chance to recover from Saturday nights out on the town.

After quizzing church-goers about why they couldn't attend morning Sunday services, he was told that many parents had to take their kids to sporting activities or went to visit farmer's markets.

Many, however, also told him that they simply needed to recuperate from "a night out" on Saturday evenings, the Daily Mail reports.

So, in a bid to encourage more people to come along to its services - currently held in a primary school as the church seeks to find its own place of worship - Rev Montgomery announced 4pm services every second Sunday.

However, 4pm Sunday is normally the time of the biggest Premier League game of the week.

He said: 'This is something we've been looking at for a while.

"Even though historically church services are in the mornings and evenings, society has changed and Sunday mornings are not always the best time for people for various reasons."

He said the reasons for the new 4pm services included worshippers struggling to attend after "a night out the day before" as well as parental duties which meant parents couldn't attend as they were taking their children to activities or were shopping at weekend farmer's markets.

He added said that 10am services would still take place as normal on Sundays and added: "We have a growing congregation in Kings Hill so we see this as very good news for us and an important next step in our journey."

Local Graham Lawson, 45, of Maidstone, Kent, said: "At last someone with a bit of sense.

"Getting up to go to church when you have a raging hangover is no fun at all - the only problem is that it will clash with the football now."