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Small rural town living.

I live in a smaller town, population 11,000 - 12,000 but about one third reside in one of the three prisons, still counted in the census and the city population. The town has 20 churches in a five mile radius. Shopping at the store I am friendly and say hi to workers and others, one woman always responds, have a blessed day. When you check out they always add a few flyers for church events in the bags. Personally I don't mind and just go on my merry way. Curious if others have lived or live in similar towns.

Mark013 7 Mar 28
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This NW Kansas town has a population of 2800-3000, one grocery store, one "department" store, a Dollar store (maybe that is another department store) and 4 gas stations. There is a prison but their numbers are not included in the population count. There are 8 eating places in town and 8 churches. Works out since lots of the attendees of the 8 churches go to the eating establishments for Sunday lunch.

No religious flyers at stores but one church routinely mails out invites to events like Easter services, "friends and neighbors" Sunday or Christmas. Religious greetings in public are not common but a sneeze merits a "bless you" in many instances and any tragic, distressing or stressful event will prompt a flood of "thoughts and prayers". Overall pressure isn't high and I know there are a lot of people who don't attend church or only attend occasionally but you have the sense that public proclamations of non-belief could make you a pariah.

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We have 2 churches, 5 liquor outlets. I guess that sums us up.

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I would have to hand those flyers back, or better yet just request they don't put any in my bags to begin with.

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I grew up in a town with a population barely north of 200. It has two churches, a tavern, and a tiny store that added a gas pump around 1999 or 2000. The members of the Assembly of God Church very much cared whether you went there and would try to recruit. There was a lot of "you know, you should come to our church sometime. I really think you'd like it there." The Presbyterians were fine.
I went to the AoG when I was a kid, and my parents didn't. They dealt with a lot of judgment, and I definitely knew that I was in a different situation than other kids.
Yours sounds a lot less hostile. Fliers and blessings would be fine.

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My town is even smaller, but I haven't run into it as much as you describe.

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Medford, Wisconsin here, bro. I feel ya

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Wow I have approx 25,000 in my town-no prisons, less than 10 churches I know of, 2 large Shaws Supermarkets within 5 miles of each other, multiple registers. Easy to avoid any religious zealots by changing registers.

Next closest store is 10 miles away so no choice really. None of them have ever asked me to their church and are all pretty friendly. It doesn't bother me, just different.

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Interesting. I too live in a small town, actually two towns together population about ten thousand combined with a prison nearby where a good amount of the people work. I hadn’t thought about the census aspect. I have though, never had anyone ever put fliers in a shopping bag. The only somewhat similar instances are there is a feed store that I refuse to shop at where they have a marquee out front with rotating Biblical verses and they have a large No Wolves sign on the wall next to the entrance. The No Wolves sign did it for me. Also my wife is the manager of the library and she gets people coming in trying to leave religious literature , mostly JWs, and she goes around with them about that as that is a no-no but they do it anyway.

gearl Level 8 Mar 28, 2018
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Sounds like where I grew up. They'd also decorate the side of a specific stretch of the highway with these super-religious signs that had way too much text on them. Bloody road hazard.

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small town but not religious in that way

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I live in an area loaded with churches, too. "Have a blessed day" always throws me, though. I feel awkward returning the sentiment, but almost as awkward in saying something else like "have a good day", when they set the tone. Still trying to figure that one out. ?

@moonmaid I do appreciate the intent. I just get thrown every time. Probably has a lot to do with growing up somewhere where that wasn't a thing.

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