The empty Church

[MikeWaters]

I've talked about using the buildings for AA meetings. (which actually happens in some instances with certain conditions I believe).

[Sleeping in EQ]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I've talked about using the buildings for AA meetings. (which actually happens in some instances with certain conditions I believe).

That's exactly the sort of thing I'm musing over.

[RC Vikings]

In my youth we always tried to utilize the gym on a regular basis. This would involve leaving a window unlocked on Sunday so we could sneak in on Monday. As I look back on it now I find it kinda funny how much trouble we got in for sneaking INTO a church.

Does anybody remember the days of a full time custodian in every building? No wonder they had a ward budget and what did that guy do everyday?

[Requiem]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

I've talked about using the buildings for AA meetings. (which actually happens in some instances with certain conditions I believe).

Ou building is used weekly for AA, substance abuse and pornography recovery meetings.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

Does anybody remember the days of a full time custodian in every building? No wonder they had a ward budget and what did that guy do everyday?

Yeah, I remember those days. But wasn't that back when the RS met during the day and Primary met right after school? Three wards to a building doing that and a lot of foot traffic was generated.

We clean our own building here, as well as taking a turn at the temple.

[myboynoah]

Originally Posted by Requiem

Ou building is used weekly for AA, substance abuse and pornography recovery meetings.

Where would that be?

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by RC Vikings

Does anybody remember the days of a full time custodian in every building? No wonder they had a ward budget and what did that guy do everyday?

What does a fulltime custodian do?

Put up chairs, take down chairs.
Vacuum classrooms, and hallways.
Mop the gym and stage.
Buffing machine on all tiled areas and in gym.
Clean bathrooms.
Clean benches, vacuum chapel.
Dusting.
Cleaning windows. Spray, squeegee, wipe streaks.

That's not the half of it.

I know because at times I helped my parents do it. My mom was the fulltime custodian, and my dad was a part-time custodian.

And it was hard crappy work.

My mom kept that building spotless. In comparison, my current church building is filthy. The carpets are dirty, the gym is dirty.

So I'm going to step up in behalf of the janitors who can't step up here and say that I appreciate their hard work, even if others don't/didn't.

[YOhio]

Our ward building serves as a reception hall once or twice a month.

[UtahDan]

One thing I wonder about is liability. Just thinking out loud here, but most of the local churches where I live (and man are there a ton) are either independent of any national organization or affiliate with one but are not owned by them. The one Catholic Church is probably an exception.

I'm just thinking, does a local church (which is nothing more than its board of trustees which are appointed by the governing body then ratified by the local court) which owns nothing more than the land it sits on really worried about being sued? Probably not. I am doing some work for the United Methodist church which is trying to divest itself of some literally empty buildings and is having a remarkably hard time even giving them away. They aren't worth much. If the local church is sued it is probably judgment proof.

The Catholic Church and LDS church on the other hand are much different. If you open your buildings to people they are licensees there and you owe them a duty of ordinary care which will include the duty to fix or warn about dangerous conditions. It would probably, as a practical matter, require having someone present there whenever the building is open to discharge that duty.

I feel what SEIQ is saying here but I think this is a function of having lay clergy. The only way I see this working is hiring someone to be a full time building manager. I'm not saying thats impossible, but it is truly not the same thing as having a priest or a pastor who is there most of the day.

[tooblue]

Originally Posted by UtahDan

One thing I wonder about is liability. Just thinking out loud here, but most of the local churches where I live (and man are there a ton) are either independent of any national organization or affiliate with one but are not owned by them. The one Catholic Church is probably an exception.

I'm just thinking, does a local church (which is nothing more than its board of trustees which are appointed by the governing body then ratified by the local court) which owns nothing more than the land it sits on really worried about being sued? Probably not. I am doing some work for the United Methodist church which is trying to divest itself of some literally empty buildings and is having a remarkably hard time even giving them away. They aren't worth much. If the local church is sued it is probably judgment proof.

The Catholic Church and LDS church on the other hand are much different. If you open your buildings to people they are licensees there and you owe them a duty of ordinary care which will include the duty to fix or warn about dangerous conditions. It would probably, as a practical matter, require having someone present there whenever the building is open to discharge that duty.

I feel what SEIQ is saying here but I think this is a function of having lay clergy. The only way I see this working is hiring someone to be a full time building manager. I'm not saying thats impossible, but it is truly not the same thing as having a priest or a pastor who is there most of the day.

Very good post.