Unionizing the Church

[Canuck E Stan]

United Church clergy plan to renew efforts

So United church ministers feel they aren't getting a fair shake from God and want to uniionize. Who would have thought that God was such a rotten boss. The CAW is going to renew their efforts to unionize the ministers.Was it the low wages,lack of benefits or the week-end work schedual.

[PocketRocket]

Hooson said she's been "blown away," by the situations endured by some ministers. Some congregation members think they have the right to walk into a minister's on-site residence, called a manse, "morning, noon and night," she said. Other ministers who don't conform to the wishes of some parishioners find themselves defamed and harassed. There have also been cases of parishioners stalking and harassing ministers.

Must be a real drag. Try getting an answering machine and screening calls.

Put a sign on the door; "No Visitors After 9pm", and then don't answer when they knock.

Paton-Evans recounted a situation at a previous church, in which she and her husband were harassed by a woman who continually called them at all hours of the night, and eventually defamed them in the community.

Sounds like the woman has serious problems with her beliefs.

But Sinclair said he doubts problems like this would go away just because the ministers have a union.

Gee, ya think? I can see that woman and her ilk even now; "Oh-oh, the Minister is now a member of a union. I better not call him/her."

Yeah, like the CAW is going to go to people's houses and tell them that the Minister does not accept calls between the hours of 5:30pm and 8:30am.

Spiritual problems be damned, don't call during off-hours.

Just another case of (A) a union wanting more people contributing to their coffers, and

(B ) some people misguidedly thinking that a union is the solution to all their problems.

[tml12]

Hooson said she's been "blown away," by the situations endured by some ministers. Some congregation members think they have the right to walk into a minister's on-site residence, called a manse, "morning, noon and night," she said. Other ministers who don't conform to the wishes of some parishioners find themselves defamed and harassed. There have also been cases of parishioners stalking and harassing ministers.

Must be a real drag. Try getting an answering machine and screening calls.

Put a sign on the door; "No Visitors After 9pm", and then don't answer when they knock.

Paton-Evans recounted a situation at a previous church, in which she and her husband were harassed by a woman who continually called them at all hours of the night, and eventually defamed them in the community.

Sounds like the woman has serious problems with her beliefs.

But Sinclair said he doubts problems like this would go away just because the ministers have a union.

Gee, ya think? I can see that woman and her ilk even now; "Oh-oh, the Minister is now a member of a union. I better not call him/her."

Yeah, like the CAW is going to go to people's houses and tell them that the Minister does not accept calls between the hours of 5:30pm and 8:30am.

Spiritual problems be damned, don't call during off-hours.

Just another case of (A) a union wanting more people contributing to their coffers, and

(B ) some people misguidedly thinking that a union is the solution to all their problems.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Everything I am reading here makes me very sad... :angry:

[sharkman]

The attempt by ministers of the United Church to unionize shows they feel their vocation is just another job. But it's not. It's a calling, something they feel deep in their hearts and know that they would not feel happy doing anything else. Because it is a thankless job for the most part. Most of the time they only get feedback when there are complaints, like the music is too loud or the wrong style, the sermon was not biblical or too long, members of the congreation are having a 'disagreement' and many more.

The hours can be pretty much 24/7 and the money is peanuts unless you are in a bigger church, and the benefits minimal. Why do they do it? Because they feel God has called them to it, and He will give them the strength to care for His people.

To try to unionize shows that the ministers of the United Church have completely lost touch with the calling from God part. Their approach is to consider it just another vocation, and since that's all it is, well they better improve their working conditions. And since they remove God from the equation, he can't bless them and make them the people they could be.

[PocketRocket]

Everything I am reading here makes me very sad... :angry:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Could you be a bit more specific???