| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name
 | Date | Lines | 
|---|
| 81.1 | Church Government in Action | JULIET::MORALES_NA | Sweet Spirit's Gentle Breeze | Fri May 30 1997 14:38 | 4 | 
|  |     I think this is a financial decision to be accepted by the deacons and
    then perhaps voted on by the people of the church.
    
    
 | 
| 81.2 |  | DECXPS::HENDERSON | Give the world a smile each day | Fri May 30 1997 14:41 | 8 | 
|  | 
 I would vote against it, were I given the opportunity.  To me it is an 
 alliance with the world that I don't think the church needs.  
Jim
 | 
| 81.3 |  | ALFSS1::BENSONA | Eternal Weltanschauung | Fri May 30 1997 16:28 | 31 | 
|  |     
    This is an interesting question.  I haven't been confronted with such
    an opportunity since we're in a community center so I haven't thought
    about it at all.
    
    There's one thing that is certain, on the face of it there is nothing
    too different in getting money from a tower on top of the building and 
    getting money from bake sales, car washes, rummage sales, and so on, in 
    my opinion.  Are bake sales and the like appropriate or inappropriate 
    ways to raise money for the church?
    
    Aren't we all here and most of those other Christians we know
    dependent upon "worldly" occupations from which our tithes and
    offerings come into the church?  Didn't God create the system of work
    and wages and giving?
    
    Though churches come to love their buildings, are the buildings the
    church?
    
    I probably would vote in favor. Of course there would be constraining
    factors.  I would know who the company is and what they stand for.  I
    wouldn't allow a broadcasting tower on my building to consciously
    broadcast the Fox Network or the Playboy channel and worse.  And I
    would not plan a long program based on income from such a deal.  I
    would probably ask that the money go into an account which is not part
    of the general fund so that I could change my mind whenever I wanted,
    within contractual agreements of course.
    
    That's my opinion at the moment.
    
    jeff
 | 
| 81.4 |  | PHXSS1::HEISER | Maranatha! | Fri May 30 1997 16:48 | 12 | 
|  |     Our church owns the shopping center where we are located.  U.S. West
    came to us last summer wanting to put up a 60ft. cellular tower on our
    property so that they could fill a transmission void in our area. 
    After a couple rejections from our church administrator, they offered
    to pay us several hundred dollars a month and mount 3 12ft crosses all
    around it.  We accepted it!  The money we make pays for running the 
    electronic stadium-sized messaging center we posted next to I-17.  Nice
    witnessing tool for rush-hour/stop&go traffic.
    
    If done right, such things can be used for God's glory.
    
    Mike
 | 
| 81.5 |  | BBQ::WOODWARDC | ...but words can break my heart | Sun Jun 01 1997 18:47 | 33 | 
|  |     Yahbut...
    
    anyone consider the radiation emanating from these beasts? Ok, there is
    no (at this time) proven correlation between Mobile-Phone Base-Station
    tower radiation and any physiological effects on humans. But that is
    mainly due to the fact that no one has _done_ these studies. There
    appears to be a correlation between microwave radiation and/or TV/FM
    radiation and increases in some forms of cancer (including leukemia).
    But this is currently from studies done in the UK and Australia.
    
    There are presently studies under way regarding physiological effects
    of Mobile-Phone handsets, and there appears to be _something_ happening
    in the skulls of people using these devices - so what are the effects
    of a hulking great Mobile-Telephone antennae in the Bell-fry of a
    church building? 
    
    The good news is that most people will only be afected for an hour or
    so a week, except maybe the office staff and volunteers who are there
    40 hours or more - and the people nearby.
    
    I suggest some examination of the risks involved - including potential
    compensation claims in years to come. Asbestos was mined, because it
    was a safe product; fibre-glass appears to be falling into the same
    category; X-rays were considered safe until further studies were done -
    now Radiographers are sheilded, and patients are given the minimum
    possible dose; passive smoking is being seen as a cause of various
    cancers; as is (in spite of the tobacco companies) smoking.
    
    Don't take the telco's word for it, investigate for your selves.
    
    hth,
    
    H
 | 
| 81.6 |  | DECWET::WANG |  | Mon Jun 02 1997 17:14 | 23 | 
|  | There are two instances happened in our church in a very short but critical
time frame a month ago.  It is a long story but I will make it very short.  
One instance is that we are about to get the permit to build our
church(building) on the land we own(for about 10 years) and we are about to
make a decision on whether we should go ahead to build it given all the money
contrains.  Our pastor suddenly got a phone call from a buddhist
organization that they would offer a price that basically whatever we ask for. 
They say that our land is on an excellent "fone-tsui" location and they want
it.
The other instance is a Sister from a Christian broadcasting ministry came to
our church to share and asking for help.  Her ministry just got an offer from
a broadcasting company that asking if they can produce Christian programs
for a valuable time slot, six days a week.  If not, a buddhist organization will
be very interested in the same time slot and is willing to pay MUCH more.
God has provided the best resources for us.  If we lose it, the enemy will take
over and do much damages than the small benifit we trade it for.  I do not know
if this will apply to the situation in .0 and .4 but we will definitely not
give up the land and the broadcasting time slot.
Wally
 |