Southern Sunday Culture...Fayetteville Style

So one thing that I do love about the South is the Sunday culture, filled with dresses, skirts, khaki's, polos, singing, hello's, and brunch. As opposed to a morning off, here the town is buzzing with people all spending time together, catching up on their week, and relaxing over a meal before the week begins. I have been attending a "start up" type church with one of my students called the Church for Arkansas, that was started by a college pastor who was looking to start a church that would appeal to the next generation. In some respects, this very much reminds me of home and all of the start up churches in the northwest. I like that about it...it has a very Starbucks/Ikea ambiance as you enter the building even though the building itself I believe is an old restaurant with a take out pizza place still next door. Not quite the southern church buildings that are seen all around Fayetteville.

We also take part in the brunch culture that follows the service. They even make jokes at the end of church about how we are beating the Baptists, or the Methodists out of church that Sunday depending on what time we are let out. Everyone chuckles to themselves, knowing exactly what that means and I just look at Spencer bewildered. I believe that I have put it together that the Baptists are longest and the Methodists fall just short of them. People even know to stay away from one of the main roads in town on Sunday morning in fear of the traffic (that only happens on Sunday) too and from the largest Baptist church in the state. Spencer referred to it once as Six Flags Over Jesus because the service itself is so full of lights and AV magic. I am trying to convince him to take me one Sunday...I mean it must be quite the experience.

Anyway...back to brunch. Ours comes in a much different form than most families...but is perfect for where we are just the same...Sonic. Spencer loves Sonic and I feel like every Sunday that is where we stop on the way home. I refrain from eating but I, as usual when I find myself in that part of the country, have become addicted to their drinks. I like to rotate between a cranberry limeade, a lemon berry slush, and a mango limeades and now those new ones with the limeade and ice cream in them...

Here's to Southern Sundays!