Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!rex!ukma!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu (Dr Nancy's Sweetie) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: "Money: it's a gas. Grab that cash with both hands . . ." Message-ID: Date: 30 Mar 91 07:40:13 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Lines: 39 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu On the way to becoming official New Jerseyites, Nancy and I have been visiting the churches in our area. One of them has a practice that we found somewhat uncomfortable. At the front of the sanctuary, there are two tables on either side of the pulpit; when it is time to collect the offering, they set up a big (at least 10 gallons) basket on each table. Two people stand behind the baskets. Everybody walks to the outside aisle by their pew, goes to the front, walks by this basket, tosses in their money (with the person behind the basket, and the entire congregation, watching closely), and returns to their seat down the center aisle. There are no envelopes on the pew racks, which means that there is no discreet way to put something in the basket: not only does your left hand know what your right hand is doing, _everybody's_ left hand knows what your right hand is doing. (At least, the Official Money Watcher does.) We're curious to know if anybody else has ever encountered this practice, or if it is a local innovation. Our guess is that the donations started dropping, and the "front basket" system was instituted to get more cash; if true, we think those priorities are misplaced -- are we overlooking something? We thought it was a bad idea; especially since some people tend to be suspicious every time money is brought up at all. At least, it will make some visitors uncomfortable, and they might not come back (we have not gone back to the church in question, and have no plans to -- and the place is only 200 feet from our house). kilroy@gboro.glassboro.edu Darren F. Provine ...njin!gboro!kilroy "New car, caviar Four-star daydream, Think I'll buy me a football team." -- Pink Floyd, "Money" [When I was calling on members of our church, one indicated that in a former church (not Presbyterian), the amount of money given by each member was published. --clh]