Stuff I Care About

Monday, March 29, 2010

Not Even Free Gas Can Get Folks to Church

No kidding. A church in Peterborough offered people free gas in an attempt to get people to come to their church. Six people came, despite the offer extending to the first 100. I am thinking that this is a good thing. Even in a recession, you cannot lure folks in with free gas. Love it. I am thinking that they really need to sweeten the offer. Check it out.

7 comments:

  1. Oh, so 6 people actually went? The way your entry started out, I thought nobody went.

    People are lazy. a free tank of gas or sleep in till 9:30? Most irreligious would take the former IMO.

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  2. 6/100, statistically speaking, is almost nothing. I do not know about that... A free tank of gas is still a free tank of gas. I would prefer to think that people really are not interested in listening for it. Still, very funny when you think about it.

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  3. Statistically speaking it's possibly lower or higher than 6/100 (6%) because it was 6 people responding out of all the people who heard the message. I don't know how big Peterborough is but I imagine if they were offering it to 50 people and extended the offer to 100 people, they were expecting at least that many to know about it.

    Personally, I would not sit through a church service for a free tank of gas. I drive, at most, 5 miles a week (on grocery day). I have a parking pass at my university but I only live a mile away so I walk every day. Even if I did drive more frequently, it wouldn't be enough incentive to sit through a sermon telling me how I am as low as dirt, a creature of sin, bound for hell, but God loves me.

    From the article:

    "The church wanted to help people on tight budgets and draw interest in the church."

    Then they should go out into the community and give away the gas cards. Churches do that kind of thing all the time, expecting (hopefully) for people to come to them after recognizing their charity (what ever happened to doing nice things just to do nice things?). By requiring attendance for the giveaway, they're trying to get more bang for their buck.

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  4. Ah, Peterborough, home of the tallest lift locks in the world I believe. I've been there and I always liked it. Now I like it even more.

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  5. Population as of 2006- 116750.... So, that is why I statistically said that it was insignificant.

    This area of Ontario is actually every economically depressed right now due to unemployment. Half an hour away is Belleville, and the crime rate has spiked with insanity as of lately. So, you would think that free gas would incite them.

    I agree, go into a poor area and just give the cards away to make it look like you actually care about the generalized condition of all members of your community. Instead, they are bribing only those who will listen to their crap.

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  6. Oh you can be sure bribery is whay it often ammounts to in the end.

    Giving cards out to poor folks downtown, just wouldnt really quite cut the mustard.

    If poor Africans overseas showed little interest in also adopting the faith,how long do you considder the charity would be honestly likely to last?.

    Can you really see it continuing to be delivered freely, for non believers who are honest about not believing?.

    Ive seen for myself how christians attitudes towards people blatantly can change,once they come out of the closet and admit they are non believers.

    While a believer you are considered like a brother,when a non believer you simply become like some type of enemy ....Warm feelings and support previously offered so freely,quickly disappear ....As if it was in all honestly, only ever really some strange mirage

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  7. Yes.... I agree.

    This is just charity with a condition. To really be concerned for the overall condition of your community, you would set up a stand and give them away to anyone who came, people of all faiths and backgrounds. If more Christians adopted this viewpoint, more people would respect them. And, possibly generate interest in their ideas for displaying compassion and generosity towards all people.

    The interesting Part 2 to this story would be too identify what they did with the cards at the end of the day. We would never get that though.

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