Selling Stuff In Church

[rhetoricfemme]

Recently I've been attending a non-denominational church, and up until two visits ago I didn't really mind it. So two Sundays ago the sermon was good, all was well, and at the very end of the service a guy came up and let the congregants know about the t-shirt he was wearing, which had the logo for the current sermon series. He was letting everyone know that they were available for purchase, and while he didn't say what the money goes toward, I'm pretty sure the cost goes toward mission work, considering that this particular church is very big on missions both globally and in our local communities. But yeah. My thoughts were along the line of,[i] you couldn't have set a booth up in the lobby or something?[/i] I don't know that what he did was wrong, I just thought it was kind of tasteless, even if the proceeds are meant for charity.

Then yesterday. Service was all good and well, but the church's chapter of MOPS (mothers of pre-schoolers) had a table set up in the church lobby selling kitchen stuff to help fund the group. I guess that's a normal thing for MOPS, which I was previously unfamiliar with, but I wasn't too happy with them set up right in the middle of the lobby for something that isn't directly church-related.

I was talking this over with someone, and they also mentioned to me that some of the historical Churches of England actually charge admission for people to go inside. Even if it's about historical upkeep, or to discern between parishioners and tourists, that doesn't quite seem right, either... Does St. Peters Basilica do this, too?

The only times I've been in Catholic establishments where they asked for money outside of tithing was

1. In my hometown parish, which has a bookshelf with Catholic books and rosaries for sale, but no one tends to the shelf; there are simply pay slips tucked inside each book for people to put their money into and deposit it into a lockbox next to the shelf.

2. Another parish asking for donations on the taper candles they were giving away for Advent.

3. Entering the grounds at the Carmel Mission requires a very cheap admission to help with upkeep and restoration, although if you're attending a service, you just go right in.


So yeah. I was kind of left not knowing how I feel about the various requests for money happening at the aforementioned church. I also think the sale of the shirts is different from the MOPS table, as one is directly for the church and the other isn't. Is this just the new 'church bake sale'? Or does this seem not right to anyone else?

Note: I know, this isn't even regarding a Catholic church, but please bear with me on this one. Plenty of other protestant churches and people probably wouldn't go for this type of fund raising, either. I'm interested in knowing how people feel about how this particular church is letting financial matters be dealt with in their church building.

[Deus te Amat]

St. Peter's Basilica does not charge, nor do any of the other Catholic Churches in Rome. Some other cities across Italy do charge a small fee to enter a Church, particularly if it is of particular interest to tourists (the Florence Cathedral, anyone?), but if you are attending Mass or something (confession/adoration...etc) you just tell them and you go in free.

I can give you more details later, if you'd like. But, generally speaking, if you are there to worship, and not to sight-see, you have the full ability to do so. (With some exceptions... I had to pay to get into the Cathedral in Siena, but that was mostly because I wanted to get inside and wasn't able to come back before the Mass...)

[Brother Adam]

I do not think anyone should give a sales pitch from Mass, but I think it is different if the priest announces that the youth group is having a bake sale or something. The youth can then give the pitch from wherever they are selling the baked goods. I also think it should only be done for fund raisers for parish groups, and not outside companies buying space or something.

[BG45]

If it were in the context of the Mass that someone was trying to sell something, good cause or not, I'd be at the very least flustered...that said during the part a lot of priests use at the end as announcements, I actually have heard goods and services advertised before that are funding parish activities and groups.

But I don't know about non-denoms. In my own personal experiences, it's pretty common at larger churches/megachurches to have gift shops at least, and on occasion to sell stuff during the service itself. Yesterday for instance, was my last day at home for Thanksgiving Break, and during the announcements section of their contemporary service my mom's pastor had her come up to try and sell Christmas ornaments for Relay for Life.

Edited November 29, 2010 by BG45

[MithLuin]

Not only do they charge to get into the fancy churches in England, but they charge a [i]lot[/i] - it ain't cheap! But even then, if you attending a service at, say, Westminster Abbey, you don't have to pay to get in. The trouble is if you really do want to see the sights, you probably won't have access to those areas if you're just there for the service. So...you do have to pay if you want to see the crypt of the cathedral at Canterbury (for instance).

[Sternhauser]

[quote name='Deus_te_Amat' timestamp='1291064366' post='2189868']
St. Peter's Basilica does not charge, nor do any of the other Catholic Churches in Rome. Some other cities across Italy do charge a small fee to enter a Church, particularly if it is of particular interest to tourists (the Florence Cathedral, anyone?), but if you are attending Mass or something (confession/adoration...etc) you just tell them and you go in free.

I can give you more details later, if you'd like. But, generally speaking, if you are there to worship, and not to sight-see, you have the full ability to do so. (With some exceptions... I had to pay to get into the Cathedral in Siena, but that was mostly because I wanted to get inside and wasn't able to come back before the Mass...)
[/quote]

That's because the State has taken strongarm control of them for "Cultural" reasons. Thankfully, one can still go to Mass in these places without paying. Until the State says otherwise.

~Sternhauser

[CatherineM]

Our pastor mentioned in the announcements that we were having a bake sale for the liturgy committee. I didn't have a problem with that.

I remember reading once, I think an Episcopal church, where a church allowed you to buy pews. I guess that meant that you paid a certain amount for a certain pew, and you were allowed to sit there exclusively. Kind of like season tickets.

[Hinter dem Horizont]

The Reform churches tend to do things like that. Yet, they speak about how corrupt the Catholic Church is and that we're not going to heaven. I think they're more corrupt. They're all about earning money.