Dennis Olson
New member
A pastor who received an urgent package in the mail from the U.S. Census Bureau containing pamphlets and mini-sermons for his congregation is outraged at what he perceives to be government intrusion into church affairs.
Last week, Federal Express delivered an overnight letter to Pastor Albert Hitchcock of Wiser Lake Chapel in Lynden, Wash. The return address was "Bureau of the Census" in Jeffersonville, Ind., and inside were two high-gloss report folders titled, "Census 2000 information for congregations" -- one in English and the other in Spanish.
The folders contained announcements and messages for the next six weeks to be printed in church bulletins and announced to church members during worship services. Pamphlets, more than a hundred to be passed out to parishioners, were accompanied by a letter from Census Bureau Chief Kenneth Prewitt.
"Census 2000 must enlist strong partners to achieve the most accurate and complete census possible," the letter states. "Your dedication to your congregation and your community as well as your credibility throughout the community makes you an ideal partner for this critical endeavor. By helping us spread the word that the Census is important and safe, you will play a key role in making Census 2000 a success."
Hitchcock is incensed.
"Almost every day I read something wherein the Church is being told to stay out of government's business -- indeed out of the public square altogether," the pastor told WorldNetDaily. "If I put out voting guides, I am told I jeopardize our tax-exempt status, for example. So, where does the Census Bureau think they get the right to commandeer God's Church to do [government] business?"
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The link:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_fosterj_news/20000318_xnfoj_ministers_.shtml
Last week, Federal Express delivered an overnight letter to Pastor Albert Hitchcock of Wiser Lake Chapel in Lynden, Wash. The return address was "Bureau of the Census" in Jeffersonville, Ind., and inside were two high-gloss report folders titled, "Census 2000 information for congregations" -- one in English and the other in Spanish.
The folders contained announcements and messages for the next six weeks to be printed in church bulletins and announced to church members during worship services. Pamphlets, more than a hundred to be passed out to parishioners, were accompanied by a letter from Census Bureau Chief Kenneth Prewitt.
"Census 2000 must enlist strong partners to achieve the most accurate and complete census possible," the letter states. "Your dedication to your congregation and your community as well as your credibility throughout the community makes you an ideal partner for this critical endeavor. By helping us spread the word that the Census is important and safe, you will play a key role in making Census 2000 a success."
Hitchcock is incensed.
"Almost every day I read something wherein the Church is being told to stay out of government's business -- indeed out of the public square altogether," the pastor told WorldNetDaily. "If I put out voting guides, I am told I jeopardize our tax-exempt status, for example. So, where does the Census Bureau think they get the right to commandeer God's Church to do [government] business?"
- end snip -
The link:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_fosterj_news/20000318_xnfoj_ministers_.shtml
