Life on the Road

A while back I posted my thoughts on the Offering Envelopes our church provided when we joined…

Well, the plot thickens!

With the start of the new year, new boxes of offering envelopes have been prepared for all members.  The Holley household received … FOUR.

Wolf’s box, Tiffany’s box, Nick’s box, and Jewel’s box.

My earlier post discusses how I feel about having my own box.  I will not use it, so it seems to be a terrible waste of both paper and church funds, and thus not good stewardship. 

Now, I can understand that even the little ones can and should be taught to give even before they may REALLY understand.  And once they go to AWANA (beginning in September once they’ve turned three) an offering collection is taken up in their class. 

But babies in the nursery aren’t solicited for tithes…  So why does she need a box of envelopes?  (Ditto thoughts about my box)

From a practical point of view, I know they’re just using all the names off the roster.  But couldn’t they leave “prepare them a box of envlopes” as a default, but allow us to “Opt Out” like any good list manager?

Someone at church mentioned that they are also used for “other things,” including tracking attendance…

Which sounds nice, except that it doesn’t DO that, if I don’t turn it in.  And I’ve talked to several other moms at church who say they turn in neither their own nor their small kids’.  It’s not as though Pastor has made announcements requesting that we turn in the envelopes for attendance…

So that reason is a complete non-starter.

Don’t get me wrong… I realize that this whole thing is not a BIG DEAL.  It just frustrates me to see money wasted like that, rather than going to further the Kingdom Work for which it was intended…