Church Gear Swiping
Dear church music gear swiper,
This is a plea. I am calling on your sense of kindness and compassion. Please stop swiping gear from different worship venues without letting someone know or bringing the item back once you are done.
When I was rehearsing for worship last Wednesday night I realized that the monitors weren't working, so I went to the soundboard to investigate. I noticed you had swiped 2 cables that connected the soundboard to the monitor sends on the snake.
I corralled one of the students who helps out with sound and blamed him for the swipe. He assured me that it was you and he went and swiped the 2 cables back that I needed from where you left them!
It seems like every time I lead worship, someone is scrambling around to find a music stand, guitar stand, mic cable, or a hundred other items. I'm beginning to think that you are a modern day church "Robin Hood" who is stealing from the ministries who have gear and giving the stuff to the ministries who don't.
About a year ago, you were swiping my music stand every week. I would find it in your Sunday School class and swipe it back, only to find it missing again the next week. I even put a "Do Not Remove" sticker on it, but you disregarded it.
Last Christmas, the church bought about 12 poinsettias to set along the front of the stage. By the time Christmas rolled around, we were down to about 6. Every week we would loose a couple of them. "Why? Why? Why?". If you needed a poinsettia, I would have bought you one!
I've been assured from season worship pastors that there is someone like you in every church, finding interesting things and moving them to places where no one can find them. Please stop before all my volunteers quit or the church has to purchase a gun vault to lock up everything between services! :)
My church suffers from acute XLR cable loss. No idea where they go. I just know we are constantly buying more.
Posted by: MandoRon | April 26, 2008 at 09:07 AM
MandoRon, it's the cable gremlins. They come out in the night and eat them up. You've got to set traps for them.
Posted by: Wayne | April 26, 2008 at 01:51 PM
MandoRon, it's the cable gremlins. They come out in the night and eat them up. You've got to set traps for them.
Posted by: Wayne | April 26, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Did you ever consider that if it only happens to you they may be trying to tell you something? Perhaps they dont' like your style, personality, maybe they think you should be perfect, like most people think of Christians. It could be 100 different reasons, but the most important lesson you could learn is to pray for them. Remember Jesus said to pray for those who use you and persecute you. Let God deal with them as He knows how to do it better!
Posted by: IamPreacher | April 30, 2008 at 06:56 AM
Did you ever consider that if it only happens to you they may be trying to tell you something? Perhaps they dont' like your style, personality, maybe they think you should be perfect, like most people think of Christians. It could be 100 different reasons, but the most important lesson you could learn is to pray for them. Remember Jesus said to pray for those who use you and persecute you. Let God deal with them as He knows how to do it better!
Posted by: IamPreacher | April 30, 2008 at 06:58 AM
the other side of this coin is having to put away bits and pieces that have been left out by the group who also use our space. Each week there are guitar stands, various types of leads, power cords.....
Posted by: Queen Bee | April 30, 2008 at 10:23 PM
You're spot on! I've been leading worship for 6 years now, and at my church, its always 1/4" instrument cables that go missing, and its usually the up-and-comers, aka, students! Gotta lov'em, though, b/c those chicken have come home to roost in the form of some pretty good young musicians.
Great blog!
Posted by: Gavin Brown | May 20, 2008 at 10:43 PM