Associate Chaplain

I have mixed feelings here and am wondering what you think. We purchase various monthly printed daily devotion booklets that we exhibit in our hospital chapel and throughout the hospital for the patients, those employed, and for those visiting. While our purpose is to get the word out, we experience people coming in and picking up handful's so they "Can pass them out at their church." I can not see how they feel this is the right way to obtain "The Word". I consider this stealing in the name of the LORD.

Your Thoughts Please!

Boanerges

Perhaps a sign "one per customer" would help. Or if not perhaps a simple " we ask anyone taking more than one to give a donation to help cover the cost of the printed materials. More than likely nobody thinks they are doing wrong- a straightforward approach is usually best.

Associate Chaplain

This has not worked.
(Sorry, had to reboot)

This has not worked. We started to reduce the amout placed out (close to a weekend) and still, by Sunday morning, none are left.

Dusty

Chaplain.... Can you put a little box there saying please put a donation for the cost of these devotionals ?

Yes, that is stealing and I can't understand how people can do that.

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Boanerges

How about an announcement in the church bulletin?

Dusty

But Larry I think he is talking about a lot different churches cause the devotionals are in the hospital chapel for the patients.

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Psalm 25

Greetings. If they are going that quickly, over and over again, then people must like them. They are reading them, using the material and learning from it. Be excited that the word is getting out! You never know who may be reading hand me down copies of the material, somewhere down the line and who it may be helping.

If your concerns are about the cost of the materials, then pray for the Lord to provide your chapel the resources and money specifically to be able to put out so many in the chapel (and all over the hospital), that they can not take them all.

Then you will not have to worry about who is taking them, but who did not get one.

May the Lord bless your holidays,
Jim

Associate Chaplain

This is why I have mixed reaction to this problem. They are there to be read and I am very happy they are. Yes, they are in a hospital so a church announcement would not work. A budget can only support but so much, so even with the increase, there still are not enough publications. A few people that we saw remove handfuls said they would not do so again but I can not stay around to see who is. My department head has gone to placing a small anount out and stretching their usefulness over the publication month.

Boanerges

Another approach could be to find a lower unit cost publisher- more bang for the buck so to speak.

Associate Chaplain

We provide The Daily Bread ,The Upper Room, and a new one which the name excapes me at the moment.

Thank you all for your imput and assistance.