Slide
Church Gallery

It will always be attached with religion the amazing architecture and engineering marvel on how houses of worship were built.

church assist-ministries
church gallery assist-minitries (1)
church gallery assist-minitries (3)
church gallery assist-minitries (2)
church gallery assist-minitries (6)
church gallery assist-minitries (5)
previous arrow
next arrow

Truckers Ministries : The Chaplaincy of a Former Trucker

Meet Olen Thompson, founder of the Truckers Ministries, which he chaplains by providing counselling and fellowship for truck drivers and transients; or to anyone who enters the semitrailer that he converted into a chapel. Being a former heavy duty towing truck driver who hauled heavy equipment across the US, Olen is able to relate to the challenges and hardships of being on the road for months.

Not finding chapels to which he was religiously affiliated, or for that matter not finding any open chapel or available chaplains in truck stops led him to enlist as a chaplain to a local ministry. This also led him to recognize what he believed is his calling from God. Based on his own experience as a long haul driver, Olen personally knew that there is a need to provide ministry to transients and travellers.

Olen Thompson recalled that it was in a chapel in Harrisburg, Pa. that he took the biggest leap of faith by quitting his job as a trucker to go into full-time ministry. He is glad that others have taken the same step by joining him in founding the Truckers Ministries.

Now a Free Methodist elder, he and other members of the Truckers Ministries act as chaplains. They provide help whatever and whenever needed by people seeking to get closer to Christ in order to be led out of deeper waters. Trucker Ministries operate mainly on donations given by employees of trucking companies.

Who is a Chaplain?

Oleg said that as a chaplain of the Truckers Ministries, his functions have led him to deal with different unexpected situations for different denominations. Their chaplaincy includes helping bring to a hospital people who are having a heart attack; or to dissuade persons from wanting to commit suicide. As a chaplain he has officiated services for weddings, baptisms and funerals.

What exactly is chaplaincy and who is a chaplain? While the most common place where a chaplain is mentioned is in the military or in the hospital, chaplains here are enlisted to provide counselling. Such service is usually extended as part of normal base operations; or to provide crisis counselling while in the battlefield. A military chaplain acts as the pastor even to individuals who do not share the same faith and practise the same religion.

While all chaplains act as pastors to specific groups of people, not all pastors can be chaplains. Unlike pastors, chaplains are enlisted, committing to serve not only people who belong to the same faith as theirs but to everyone regardless of beliefs and religious affiliations.

In the battlefield, chaplains run, eat, perform drills and sleep alongside soldiers but they are not allowed to fire weapons. However, in actual conflicts, chaplains are typically assigned to medical stations to help comfort wounded or dying soldiers. That way, soldiers will have a chaplain to keep them company during their darkest hours.

Is Affiliate Marketing Ethical for Religious Products and Services?

While blogging about religion is a hobby, you secretly wish you can increase income generated by your content so you can improve the quality of your blogsite. However, many think of affiliate marketing as a dishonorable method of monetizing one’s blogging activities. The misconception has kept you from joining affiliate marketing programs.

Still, have a broader understanding that just like other business operations, the people who give the industry a bad reputation are those that abuse the programs; using unethical practices just to increase monetary gains. Bear in mind that as an affiliate marketer, you are also providing services to your readers, since you will be curating products for fellow Christians. You will be making it easier for them to feel confident about their buying decisions, over brands of religious products they have not heard or read about before.

That being the case, it would be wise for you to pay heed to the affiliate marketing practices shared as advice by successful and ethical Internet marketing experts. Southern California digital marketing expert Jeff Lerner, gives advice that in order to be successful, you have to work toward earning the trust of your readers. You can do that by creating content that will prove to be useful and helpful to your readers. To know more about Jeff Lerner, go here and read an article published by The Signal, containing a review of Lerner’s work and accomplishments as an Internet marketer.

Examples of Religious Businesses with Affiliate Marketing Programs

Most manufacturers and providers of religious products are more often than not, Christians who know the value of hard and honest work. This denotes that their products are easier to vet and promote. Remember, for your input to be ethical, you must lead your readers to wholesome providers of religious products and services.

Below are some examples reputable businesses with affiliate marketing programs.

ChurchSource has been in the business of providing pastors or ministers with inspirational materials, for more than 20 years. Their products include not only Bibles but also books and DVDs published by Christian authors that can help members of the clergy spread words of ministries to their congregation or service.

PureFlix is like Netflix but is dedicated to video streaming purely Chtistian-focused and family-friendly content. This Christian streaming service offers a wide range of wholesome choices from cartoons, to movies, documentaries, sports, hobby channels and even fitness shows that can be streamed to desktops, laptop, smartphones and Roku devices.

eHarmony is a faith-specific dating platform that distinguishes itself from other Christian dating sites. Its app has features that assess not only compatibility but also quality of the singles who claim to be people of faith.

Church Property Administrators: Knowing When It is Legal to Tow a Parked Vehicle

Part of managing church properties is making sure that there are no illegally parked cars in the church parking lot; or in the entrance to the property. Church Administrators have the authority toe have them towed or removed, but it is important for them to know towing laws in the perspective of both the church as th e property owner, and of the owner of the vehicle to be towed.

Parked vehicles in a private church parking lot can be towed without observing the one hour grace period, especially those without authorization and if there are proper signages everywhere. However, some church property administrators in California still continue to allow the one hour grace period to lapse before taking action because parking laws tend to vary in different municipalities.

That is why it is best to check local ordinances in their respective area first, since there are variations that tend to complicate matters. While the California Vehicle Code (CVC) specify laws related to lawful parking and what conditions are present before an illegally parked vehicle can be towed, local officials may have issued ordinances related to the enforcement of such rules.

Parking Laws According to the California Vehicle Code

In accordance with California Vehicle Code Section 22658(a), the owner of a private property can remove an unlawfully parked vehicle, and have it transferred to a storage facility; but subject to the following conditions and circumstances:

  • Signages are placed in all entrances of the property and in plain view of those entering the parking area, whilst indicating that the owner forbids public parking, which if violated will be give cause to remove the vehicle by towing.
  • All signages containing the prohibition against public parking is not less than 17 by 22 inches, while the lettering is also not less than one inch in height.
  • Every signage must include the local traffic law enforcement agency’s landline and also the name and landline number of every towing company that has been given authorization by the property owner.
  • The warning may also specify that a citation for the violation would also be issued.
  • The illegally parked vehicle on the private property does not have an engine, tires, doors, wheels, transmission, windshield, or any part of a major equipment needed to safely navigate the vehicle along highways.
  • The vehicle in question has been given a notice of parking violation and 96 hours have already passed since the notification. The 24 hours commences after the 96-hour life of the issued of notice.
  • The owner of the private property or his or her authorized personnel has informed the local traffic law enforcement agency about the planned action of towing the vehicle. .

California Vehicle Code Exceptions to 24-Hour Grace Period

The exceptions mentioned below refers to questions on whether the parked vehicle can be towed immediately without waiting for the one hour grace period to lapse. According to the CVC rules, the vehicle can be towed from a private property that allows public use, only if it has been illegally parked for at least one hour or 60 minutes; except in instances that the vehicle is:

  • Parked in spaces reserved for the disabled;
  • Parked within a distance of 15 feet near a fire hydrant, and
  • Parked in the entrance of a parking lot of the private church despite proper signs that forbids unauthorized parking; not unless the driver of the vehicle was give permission by an authorized church personnel.

In the City of San Jose, only towing companies authorized by the San Jose Police Department have the authority to tow a vehicle from a private property. San Jose church property administrators therefore should immediately check if their existing towing agreement is with a company that holds a permit issued by the police department, with regard to towing san jose illegally parked vehicles.

𐌢