"Put the money in the Pastor's hand."

[Sweet Pea]

Originally Posted by Sean

J.D., our pastor received a brand spanking new Jaguar at an anniversary function(rolled in though the door of a lavish hotel conference room)...top that!



LOL

Just another mis-representation by Sean. I know of only one minister in California that was given a Jag, so if he is referring to a particular pastor who became a UPCI official, here are some additional facts.

1) It was not only the 30th anniversary of his pastorate, it was also his departure from the church to to go Headquarters.

2) It was most definitely NOT in a lavish hotel conference room. It was in a building at the county fairgrounds. A large room that many people spent time and their own money and personal items to decorate and make beautiful for the occasion of honoring a great man!

Sean, I've seen many of your postings and negative comments and have just let it roll off me like water off a duck, even when I was pretty certain that you were mis-representing some things. However, I couldn't let this one pass.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

Actually, I am not sure-- but how would that conversation go over anyway?




Maybe not.

After service, I got to see a second much larger, 2-building lot that the church owns in a bad section of Cleveland. It is an old 19th century edifice, beautifully and classically built, along with a school building next door to it.

This small congregation of inner city believers share their Pastor's vision for the city and they are not afraid to give.

Due to the largeness of their vision, my gut tells me that this Pastor will probably take a good portion of what was given financially and put it towards his vision for the ministry.

I realize I am being very optimistic, but you should have been there to see what I saw.

These people give and give and give and probably have been doing that for quite sometime.

Well, it is hard to know exactly how things are going on for sure, as this was just for your first visit, I assume. But from the running monologue you provided, it certainly seemed that something is amiss... if the pastor indeed has a great vision for the city, and was a humble man who really had a vision, it would seem he would not want such lavish gifts for himself, but would want it bestowed upon the needy ones in his community instead...

[seguidordejesus]

Sorry folks, that's all just crazy. Tens of thousands of dollars for your birthday? Fur coats? No words.

[Esaias]

There is a church in LaMarque, Texas with an ATM in the parking lot.

I almost wrecked driving by I was laughing so hard.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by seguidordejesus

Sorry folks, that's all just crazy. Tens of thousands of dollars for your birthday? Fur coats? No words.

It was not in the tens of thousands bro.

It was a lot of money though.

They gave cheerfully.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by Esaias

There is a church in LaMarque, Texas with an ATM in the parking lot.

I almost wrecked driving by I was laughing so hard.

That's funny!

My old church in Orlando had Credit Card kiosks where one could give. We also had a set up where you could use your cell phone to text give.

Text giving was my previous Pastor's preferred method of giving.

[n david]

Originally Posted by Jermyn Davidson

That's funny!

My old church in Orlando had Credit Card kiosks where one could give. We also had a set up where you could use your cell phone to text give.

Text giving was my previous Pastor's preferred method of giving.

The PAW church I attended had credit/debit card machines to use during offering. It's nice for a church to have this ability. I rarely, if ever, carry cash, so these machines are great.

[Jermyn Davidson]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Well, it is hard to know exactly how things are going on for sure, as this was just for your first visit, I assume. But from the running monologue you provided, it certainly seemed that something is amiss... if the pastor indeed has a great vision for the city, and was a humble man who really had a vision, it would seem he would not want such lavish gifts for himself, but would want it bestowed upon the needy ones in his community instead...

Yes and no.

Like I said, my gut tells me he will just be giving it into the ministry but I don't know for sure. Even if he didn't give it back to the ministry, I don't think there is anything wrong with Pastors having nice stuff. I don't think there is anything wrong with the congregation giving sacrificially to bless their Pastor, and vicariously, blessing the Lord through giving.

I do think it is a turn off to ask for so much money and to collect multiple offerings during a church service. I think it is wrong to twist scriptures to manipulate people into giving.

[houston]

Originally Posted by Esaias

There is a church in LaMarque, Texas with an ATM in the parking lot.

I almost wrecked driving by I was laughing so hard.

Where? I want to check it out.

[votivesoul]

Forget the money, how about equating an Old Covenant priest of the Levitical Order with a New Covenant pastor, and completely demolishing the Word of God in the process to do it?