The Associated Press has an article about a movement by atheists to form Sunday Assemblies, which do everything a church does except worship. They sing, hear a lecture, maybe meditate, engage in charitable works, and socialize. What they don't do is pray or recognize a deity. Think of it as "church ultralite."
Members have a place around which to organize a social life with like-minded folks, which is no bad thing. On the other hand, it sort of reminds me of many vegetarian and vegan recipes which work hard to create a meat-like flavor and texture without meat.
Another way to think about it, I suppose, is that regular churches have taken on a lot of activities which have little to do with worship, activities which people (including some atheists) want to include in their lives.
