Church Hopping (King of the Hill)
Encyclopedia
"Church Hopping" is the 197th episode of the Fox
animated series King of the Hill
. The episode was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
.
leads his family out of the Methodist Church and begins searching for a new parish to call home.
Their first stop is a Pentecostal
church held in a tent, where Buck Strickland worships; Hank is quickly put off by their wild fervor. Next they visit a Roman Catholic church with Hank's colleague Enrique, but the service is conducted in Spanish and the Hills (particularly Hank) can never figure out when to stand, sit, or kneel. From here, they try a New Age/Progressive church built entirely of steel and attended by Donna, another of Hank's coworkers. However, they get no farther than opening the door (and hearing "Day by Day," from Godspell
, being played inside) before they immediately leave.
While visiting a local MegaChurch
, Hank encounters Rev. Stroup at its coffee shop. She is dismayed that the Hills have changed churches over the issue of their usual pew being taken, as well as Peggy's (rejected) suggestion for having open mic sermons. As Stroup storms out, she tells Hank that the new family has sat in the disputed pew every week since the Hills left.
As the Hills join the MegaChurch and settle in, Hank and Peggy each get what they want: assigned seating in the enormous sanctuary and plenty of chances to help out and suggest improvements. However, they gradually find themselves spending more and more time on church activities, being constantly alerted to them by a restaurant-style pager/buzzer given to Hank, and Rev. Nealey soon tires of Peggy's intrusions on his work. To take a break from the church, Hank tries Lucky's style of "worship," which consists of drinking heavily in a bar on Sunday morning.
Once Hank has recovered from this binge, he finds that Peggy has brought Nealey over in an attempt to revive his faith. He decides that he would be happier at a smaller church, but does not want to embarrass himself in front of Stroup by asking to come back. His solution is to tell the new family about the MegaChurch, which they promptly join, and the Hills come back to the Methodist church with Stroup's grudging acceptance: "Please take...your seat."
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
animated series King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
. The episode was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award
The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949...
.
Plot
When the Hills arrive late for church one Sunday, they find that a large family of new members has taken their usual seat in the sanctuary. Annoyed over losing what he considers to be his personal place, HankHank Hill
Henry Rutherford "Hank" Hill Age 50 animated series King of the Hill. Hank lives in Arlen, Texas and works at the fictional Strickland Propane selling propane and propane accessories. Hank's voice is provided by series creator Mike Judge. The Economist named Hank Hill as one of the wisest people...
leads his family out of the Methodist Church and begins searching for a new parish to call home.
Their first stop is a Pentecostal
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
church held in a tent, where Buck Strickland worships; Hank is quickly put off by their wild fervor. Next they visit a Roman Catholic church with Hank's colleague Enrique, but the service is conducted in Spanish and the Hills (particularly Hank) can never figure out when to stand, sit, or kneel. From here, they try a New Age/Progressive church built entirely of steel and attended by Donna, another of Hank's coworkers. However, they get no farther than opening the door (and hearing "Day by Day," from Godspell
Godspell
Godspell is a musical by Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak. It opened off Broadway on May 17, 1971, and has played in various touring companies and revivals many times since, including a 2011 revival now playing on Broadway...
, being played inside) before they immediately leave.
While visiting a local MegaChurch
Megachurch
A megachurch is a church having 2,000 or more in average weekend attendance. The Hartford Institute's database lists more than 1,300 such Protestant churches in the United States. According to that data, approximately 50 churches on the list have attendance ranging from 10,000 to 47,000...
, Hank encounters Rev. Stroup at its coffee shop. She is dismayed that the Hills have changed churches over the issue of their usual pew being taken, as well as Peggy's (rejected) suggestion for having open mic sermons. As Stroup storms out, she tells Hank that the new family has sat in the disputed pew every week since the Hills left.
As the Hills join the MegaChurch and settle in, Hank and Peggy each get what they want: assigned seating in the enormous sanctuary and plenty of chances to help out and suggest improvements. However, they gradually find themselves spending more and more time on church activities, being constantly alerted to them by a restaurant-style pager/buzzer given to Hank, and Rev. Nealey soon tires of Peggy's intrusions on his work. To take a break from the church, Hank tries Lucky's style of "worship," which consists of drinking heavily in a bar on Sunday morning.
Once Hank has recovered from this binge, he finds that Peggy has brought Nealey over in an attempt to revive his faith. He decides that he would be happier at a smaller church, but does not want to embarrass himself in front of Stroup by asking to come back. His solution is to tell the new family about the MegaChurch, which they promptly join, and the Hills come back to the Methodist church with Stroup's grudging acceptance: "Please take...your seat."