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CAMsoc Update: The Newsletter of the Computer Aided Ministry Society

Volume 15, Number 11

November, 2009

Contents:

Opinion: Digital Giving
Recalls
Coming Events
New or Changed Entries in the Church Related Software Index
Legal Stuff: Mine! All Mine!!!

Opinion: Digital Giving

A handful of articles this month have got me thinking. A couple of them talk about giving to local churches online, and another talks about using computer kiosks in churches, not just for distributing information, but also for people to give to the church through the kiosk, using credit cards.

I have to admit that my first reaction was to dismiss both ideas out of hand. One of the telltale signs of somebody who is new to technology is that they start looking for technological solutions to every issue, even when a technological fix isn't necessarily the best solution. (As Abraham Maslow once observed, "To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail.") But upon reflection, it occurs to me that both technologies may have a place in the local church. Actually, I have long been unhappy with the idea of passing the offering plate during the worship service. For one thing, it seems to me an interruption: if a service has really come together, and the prayers, music, scripture readings, etc. have all come together to bring people into the presence of the Lord, prepared to hear His word expounded, then why interrupt that by reminding people of the state of their wallets and bank accounts? For another thing, the whole concept smacks too much, in this day and age, of "And now, we interrupt this broadcast for a brief word from our sponsor." In my opinion, we have too much spectator Christianity going on: people coming to church, paying their admission fee, and expecting to set back and enjoy while the people on the platform do all the worshipping, ministry, and possibly righteous living for them.

Some time back, I heard about a church which dispensed with offering plates in the service, and replaced them with locked offering boxes in the lobby. (I was reminded of the offering box in the temple in Jerusalem, initiated during the reign of Joash, and apparently carried on right down to Jesus' time.) The idea is to get people to think prayerfully about how much they're going to give, rather than hurriedly grabbing for something in their wallets when the offering plate comes around. Giving kiosks, or even giving online through the church web site, can be a logical extension of that strategy. However, after reading about the churches who've been scammed by kiosk suppliers back in April, I'm inclined to counsel caution when you choose a supplier for a kiosk. (Dyer, John, "The Best and the Worst New Tech: What You Least Expect." Christianity Today, November 27, 2009. To subscribe: www.christianitytoday.com/ct/feeds/ Published by Christianity Today International. Coppedge, Anthony, "Making Online Giving a Success." The Christian Post, November 30, 2009. To subscribe: www.christianpost.com/services/rss/ Published by The Christian Post. Coppedge, Anthony, "Church Digital Kiosks." The Christian Post, November 30, 2009.)

Recalls:

VendorProductReason
NokiaCharger models AC-3E, AC-3U, and AC-4U sold with Nokia phones or separately as accessories, manufactured between April 13, 2009 and October 25, 2009.Shock hazard

Coming Events:

New or Changed Entries in the Church Related Software Index:

SourceProductOperating System
CrossWire Bible SocietyBibleTimeLinux, Windows
Grass Roots SoftwareSundayPlusWindows
John MuehleisenDonor ManagerWindows
NobleTech LimitedWords of WorshipWindows
NoteWorthy Software, Inc.NoteWorthy ComposerWindows

Legal Stuff:

CAMsoc Update is a newsletter on computing in general, and Christian computing specifically. The contents are copyright © 2009 by Greg Slade and contributors, and may not be reprinted nor copied in any form without prior written permission from the author. For reprint permission, please contact the editor.

[Back to Vol. 15, No. 10] [Index of Back Issues]
[Back to Vol. 15, No. 10] [Index of Back Issues]

CAMsoc Update

CAMsoc Update is a newsletter on computing in general, and Christian computing specifically. The contents are copyrighted by Greg Slade, and may not be reprinted or copied in any form without prior written permission from the author. Software and hardware developers, book publishers, etc., may send news releases for CAMsoc Update to the address listed on the contact page.

CAMsoc Update was originally published as a stand-alone newsletter for the Computer Aided Ministry Society of Canada from 1988 to 1990. From 1990 to 1992, CAMsoc Update was an occasional page on Canadian Christian computing news in Church Bytes. The items in Church Bytes did not carry Volume or Issue numbers, but I have assigned them to "Volume 2" and numbered them in the order that they appeared.

Now, CAMsoc simply stands for "Computer Aided Ministry Society", and the focus is on all aspects of computing of interest to Christians, but especially on telecommunications. The online issues start with Volume 3, Number 1 (July, 1995.)

How to subscribe

To subscribe to CAMsoc Update, you can register with the Mimerdesk tool at:

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Once you are registered with Mimerdesk, you can join the CU list. Alternatively, you can send a message to:

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How to unsubscribe

To subscribe from CAMsoc Update, you can use the Mimerdesk tool at:

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How to change your address

Currently, you cannot tell the mailing list server to change your address. Therefore, if you wish to change the address to which CAMsoc Update is sent, use the methods listed above to subscribe the new address, and unsubscribe the old address.

[CAMsoc Home Page] [Christian Computing Bibliography] [Christian Telecommunications Toolkit] [Church Related Software Index] [Computer Re-use Optimisation Project]
[CAMsoc Home Page] [Christian Computing Bibliography] [Christian Telecommunications Toolkit] [Church Related Software Index] [Computer Re-use Optimisation Project]

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