The Evangelist's Wife as Campaign Treasurer
BERTHA W. FEARING: Minister's Wife, Nevada-Utah Conference
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When the evangelist's wife is qualified to serve as treasurer of the evangelistic campaign, this arrangement saves an associate worker many hours of time for personal work. The duties of receiving the evangelistic offerings, the banking of funds, the paying of bills, the rendering of the monthly financial report to the conference these are the main items of the evangelistic treasurer's work.
To safeguard all who are connected with the handling of the offerings, a financial committee of at least three church members may be appointed. At the close of each meeting this committee counts the offering, wrapping as much coin as possible. The money is placed in a bag that the treasurer has provided them. A slip of paper with the date and amount is placed inside, and the bag is then given to the evangelistic treasurer. The chairman of the financial committee should keep a dated record of the offerings in a little book in case some item may need explanation.
After recounting it the treasurer will record this offering as received. The money is then ready for deposit.
The evangelistic bank account should be an entirely separate bank account from any other, and should be opened jointly by the treasurers of the evangelistic campaign and of the conference. In this way, if the evangelistic treasurer should be incapacitated the conference would have access to the funds.
It would not be wise to place the evangelistic account in a bank that does not give a monthly bank statement.
It is advisable to pay all bills promptly by check, and a receipt must be retained for each one. The check number should be written on the voucher, and this check number then becomes the voucher number also. These vouchers (or receipts) accumulate until it is time to make the monthly report.
As workers in the evangelistic company take care of certain items of business for which they have paid personally, they are reimbursed by check only upon receipt of their bills. Then each one of those bills may be marked paid by the same check number.
Conferences vary their forms to be filled in for the monthly report. I used the form required by the Southern California Conference, and it seems to be very complete. This is printed on both sides of a large nine by twelve clasp envelope. (See cuts.)
The records of all funds received and the bank deposits made are here recorded during the month in the columns provided for various items.
At the close of the current month, when bills turned in are paid and the bank statement has been received, the receipted bills are placed in order by the check number that has been given them, and recorded in that order on the expense side of the envelope. They should be clipped together to stay in that order. After the bank statement has been checked with the checkbook and outstanding checks reconciled, et cetera, if necessary, the monthly report of "Balance of Unspent Funds" should agree with the "Bank and Checkbook Balance."
When the report is completed it may be copied on a clean envelope, and with the receipts and bank statement placed inside, sent to the conference treasurer. The original copy should be kept in the files of the evangelist.
Ministers' Wives as Nurse Aides
Who today has not been made conscious of the work of the Red Cross and its noble volunteer service in our communities as well as in our hospitals? Seventh-day Adventists have again come to the front as thousands of our sisters have prepared for this volunteer service. But because a few, perhaps, may have commercialized their nursing service in non-Adventist hospitals, some new problems are arising, and the minister's wife seems to be in the focus. It may be well, sisters, to let a sincere inquirer for guidance from the Ministerial Association stir up our thinking. Let us quote from a recent letter:
"Many of the sisters in the church are serving as nurse aides in our local undenominational hospitals. They work right along on the Sabbath with the conviction that this is necessary service for the sick. Our pastor's wife was the first to lead out by her example. Soon others were following. Is our thinking becoming confused? What does the Ministerial Association advise for these sisters, especially ministers' wives?"
Though this inquiry is briefly worded, we may immediately detect that such a situation brings confusion into a local church, with involvement of its leadership. Whether this minister's wife is giving volunteer welfare service or whether she is remunerated for her nursing, the problem is still acute. As someone emphatically stated to us when sharing the inquirer's note, "It is the growing problem of working ministers' wives, and something should be done about it!"
Without question our times are abnormal. Young people have been swept from their mooring by war. Then again, some have late entered the sacred service of God without adequate preparation. This particular problem, therefore, may need to be dealt with before it tends further to confuse or discourage our godly laywomen. We rightly interpret the trend of the world toward carelessness and commercial ism as a sign of our times, and we would be in place to warn the ministerial family to guard against it. To become careless in this respect would bring ruin to our Adventist homes and also do irreparable harm to our church program, especially to our Sabbath services and prayer meetings. The example of the minister's wife may counteract all the good her husband may seek to do, should this trend toward improper discrimination as to our Sabbath duties be left unchecked.
Working Wives
By: Louise C. Kleuser
Some Seventh-day Adventist youth preparing for the ministry became careless while they were struggling to finance their education. Our colleges were well aware of this problem, and endeavored to correct any such trend, but some problems have now reached the field. We could here list many reasons for working wives, but it is still significant that perhaps too many, when they became established in our denominational work, continued working. There has been a great demand for teachers, nurses, and office workers. Some may have sought to respond temporarily to these needs. But the question before us now is this: Can it be that our workers generally need a more sanctified vision? Has modern prosperity made our ministers' wives hanker for that which the Joneses pos sess? Has the message lost its appeal to sacrifice? Then again, why would we rather serve the world than God's cause?
The ministerial wife is the companion of the minister she chose to be her husband. She expected to become an example of discriminate Christianity and its noble, self-sacrificing service. The challenge, dignity, and importance of her profession dare not be eclipsed by the worldliness around her. But now, coming right to the point, let us emphasize that even our volunteer service for suffering humanity must not infringe on the time we owe God in Sab bath worship. Ours is a ministerial leadership; and a minister's wife cannot dodge her responsibility to be an example to the flock. No sacrifice of time or means will atone for the neglect of her first duty her ministerial influence in the home and in the church.
Again, we should realize that it is another matter to serve in one of our denominational institutions, where nursing work on the Sab bath can be regulated, than to serve in a non-Adventist institution, where Saturday must be a busy day in preparation for Sunday. We dare not become a snare for our weaker church members. Our ministerial wives are the sacred possession of the Advent ministry, whose mission is to herald the last warning message. So let us wisely continue to keep our objectives clarified and our talents on the altar.
We well recognize the fact that few sisters in our ranks need this pointed counsel, for we have great confidence in our godly, devoted ministers' wives. Should this caution fit your case, my sister, then kindly let God reveal to you the true condition of your needy heart. You belong at your husband's side on the Sab bath, and only a real emergency may keep you away from your church responsibilities.
