Saturday, January 19, 2013

OK, I was TRYING to be adult - perhaps I was wrong.

Going back to the last post about selling fund raiser items in church - I decided I would take the adult way to deal with this.  I decided I would email the parents.  I explained that we were a church full of school aged children who all  have fund raisers.  If one can bring the items, then all could.  I thought I was appealing to common sense.  Hello??  Wake up!  Beside that - why involve Pastor and all if I could just go to the point of the problem.  

The mother send a terse email back to me saying that her daughter had permission to sell, and that I was in no way was expected to buy (in this case) the Girl Scout cookies.  OK - that would be an acceptable answer, but she also sent the email to Pastor.  That gives me the impression that since she fancies herself to be a princess, she wanted to "get me in trouble" like a 12 year old girl would react.

Pastor then responded saying that since we had no policy, the Board would have to look into this issue.  In his previous churches, the selling simply wasn't allowed or it was only to be in the narthex with the order form just placed there.  Hmmm - seems there was no mention of there being permission given in this case.  Surpise.

Then husband decided that things were definitely turning against them and quickly said that there shouldn't be anything more to come of this.  He didn't realize (??) there would be a problem.  His daughter was just a zealous Girl Scout who was proud of her Girl Scoutness (I know - not a word).

It would have really been interesting if another woman who has a troop had been in church that Sunday.  With that one - another princes by the way - fur would have been flying.  I know she would have had a complete fit!

It has taken me a while to write about this.  First - we have been busy here in the old SSB.  Second, I was angry about this whole thing.  I had gotten the email from Pastor on the way here on my phone.  I stewed quite a while, until I re-read it - several times.  I began to see that this is something that will have to be addressed.  It isn't so much zealous kiddos - it is like sports, dance and other extra-curricular things - it is the over zealous parents.

Will I be adult again?  Will I go to the source.  I don't know. Is it worth it?  Don't know that either.  At least I possibly won't have to turn a bunch of kids down when approached with fund raiser materials.

3 comments:

Cheyenne said...

Nobody should be put in that position when it comes to fund raising, especially when they involve the church. Obviously things were done wrong and got out of hand. They were "called out" and now there are hard feelings I guess. I reiterate: the church should never have been involved.

JuJu said...

You did the right thing. I'm sure there are many folks out there who are glad you handled it!

yellowdoggranny said...

ah,............so glad I'm a pagan..