Employment of Adventists

[Gregory Matthews]

Part 1:

I have lived in communities where there existed so-called Christian Directories.  In these, service providers could list their services, claim that they were Christian and we would be encouraged to give our business to fellow Christians.  If you need someone to paint your home, hire a Christian to do it instead of a non-Christian.

I have on occasion seen such for SDA service providers.

I have always questioned such.  I have considered it to be a form of discrimination.  I have believed that if the focus was on hiring someone who was NOT a SDA we would be greatly offended.

 

My question to you:  What think you of these directories?

 

[Gregory Matthews]

Part 2:

Due to our recent move from Colorado to California and our purchase of a home, we have had the opportunity to hire independent contractors to perform services for us.  We have done some painting and much more.  Some has been minor work.  Some has been major.

We have chosen the contractors to perform the services on the basis of the following (Not In order of priority.):

1)  Ability to provide us with the service we desired.

2) Price to be charged.

3) Willingness to work with us and to change as we decided to change. 

In choosing a contractor, we have often interviewed several.     The ones we have chosen have included the following:

1) SDA members.

2) People who informed us when we told them that they could not work on our house on Saturdays, that they were former SDAs and understood our requirement.

3) People for whom we had no idea as to either their religion or their lack of religion.

NOTE:  We have hired several of each category above.

Additional question:  If we had been restrictive, as described in Part 1, how would that have affected our Christian witness and the Biblical injunction to be "in the world" but not "of the world.?"

 

 

 

 

[LynnDel]

I understand what you are saying and see the value of it. We do need to mix with the world in order to witness, and one-on-one contact is better than an evangelistic campaign. I have had a little of the same cringe factor you've experienced when a church has put out a booklet of SDAs to patronize for business or labor. On the other hand, is it much different than those same SDAs having an ad in the back of the church directory? In addition, I do know there are Adventists that have a hard time finding work because they will not work on Sabbath, and I am always happy to give them first chance at a job if they are good at what they do.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

heh.  A number of years ago my folks hired a someone to paint their house, specifically because he was an SDA painter.  He did okay, since Dad and Mom's house was white, and they just wanted it repainted in white.  So, I decided to hire him to paint my house, which was a light pink — I wanted it painted in light blue. 

Big Time DISASTER!!!

The paint job on my house was horrible.  The pink wasn't even covered in many places, and in others, the blue coat was so thin that the color appeared to be lavender.  My Dad didn't want me to tell the painter to come and re-do the job, because "he's a fellow Adventist"....  So, my Dad and I repainted the whole house.  Come to find out, the painter was *color-blind* and couldn't tell the difference between light pink and light blue.  

If someone can't do the job right, they shouldn't offer their services.  Still makes me disgusted when I think about it.

I would NEVER hire someone simply because that person was SDA.

[phkrause]

I've done that on several occasions, hired on the basis that the person/s were Christians. Not only Christian, but SDA Christians!! Sometimes it has worked out other times, not so well.

[Gail]

Yikes! Not good!

I share a similar worry, although disappointments can happen on both sides. I have heard of some church members expecting perks in service due to the connection. I believe in giving a fair payment for a job done.

My headspace likes to keep some things private, like for instance who I entrust with the selling of my home or preparing of my will. I like to pay my tithe to a treasurer who is not closely connected to me. I am just weird like that.

But we have found tradesmen who I would have no problem whatsoever recommending for quality of workmanship. I am presently embarking on a complete kitchen renovation and I had no doubt on who I was going to call.

[LifeHiscost]

39 minutes ago, phkrause said:

I've done that on several occasions, hired on the basis that the person/s were Christians. Not only Christian, but SDA Christians!! Sometimes it has worked out other times, not so well.

One of the hazards of being human.

23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;… Romans 3

God is Love!~Jesus saves! 

[pierrepaul]

The Jewish community in my town does something similar. In larger SdA churches, often members don't actually know what skills, talents and qualifications others in the community have.

I've hired SdAs and non-SdAs with mixed results - sometimes it works out sometimes not. We've never lost or compromised a friendship over a business dispute with a church member. I've had SdAs retain my services - sometimes with great success, occasionally with failure. I'm not perfect and one matter I mishandled was that of a fellow church member.

[Aliensanctuary]

We hired an SDA attorney once. Waste of money. We did help pay for him to get elected as mayor of Sparks, NV. We needed a bulldog to fight for our interests but instead got a wimpy puppy. We were so young and naive.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

then there's the other side of the coin...  I once worked for a healthcare company that was being started up by an SDA who also happened to be an ordained minister..  He chose the site for the company just down the road from the Conference headquarters, with the idea that *surely* his business would be swarmed by his fellow SDA cronies (as well as the general public).  But things didn't work the way he had anticipated, and the company eventually folded.  That was the absolutely WORST place I ever worked.

[LynnDel]

In a similar vein, when given a choice, do you go to an SDA doctor or dentist over one who isn't? I have gone to both, and I have learned, over the years, that the LLU-trained dentists seem to have an edge over the others. They have an attitude toward the patient and the patient's teeth that outshines the rest. They care. It's strange that, no matter what their current church affiliation, they seem to have retained that point of view - in my experience!

[BigMark]

I was in the real estate "flipping" business in the early 1990s. I hired an SDA attorney to probate a property with 4 adult children. They're supposed to get their money 90 days from closing. These were poor people. He paid them out of his own pocket, and he had to wait 90 days to get it back. What a gentleman. Class act!

I had a dentist who treated my ex-wife's son on a regular basis. After she and I were divorced, I went in because I chipped a molar. I just needed a crown. He did the whole 9 yards (x-rays, diagnosis, etc.). I did not have a lot of money at the time and no insurance. It took awhile, but I paid him every cent that I owed him. He was a real Scrooge about that money, and still acts like I stiffed him even today. What a prick. 

I'm also an actor and musician. Most that I've seen don't understand the emotion that goes with a performance. They get the notes or the lines right, but devoid of the emotion. This has been what I've seen from most performers on the platform. 

Just like there is good and bad in every group, SDAs are no different. I might consider hiring one, but he/she would have to prove themselves first. Just my $.02

[BigMark]

1 hour ago, LynnDel said:

In a similar vein, when given a choice, do you go to an SDA doctor or dentist over one who isn't? I have gone to both, and I have learned, over the years, that the LLU-trained dentists seem to have an edge over the others. They have an attitude toward the patient and the patient's teeth that outshines the rest. They care. It's strange that, no matter what their current church affiliation, they seem to have retained that point of view - in my experience!

There are 2 kinds of doctors: health doctors, and "typical" doctors. I know 1 health doctor in Orlando and 1 in Phoenix. Neither are SDAs. I did go to a clinic run by an SDA doc. When I informed him that I was a plant based vegan, he understood that I was in good health. 

[Dr. Shane]

My dentist is an Adventist and I think the world of her.

[ChildofChrist]

In 2008, I was taking leave from a patient that I had for 13 month to care for my aunt. I met my replacement and she related she was SDA. I was feeling better about leaving.

Mister survived another year, however, my replacement did not. I learned she was extremely abuse to the 87yr old. It broke my heart when the daughter shared the story.

I would never hire someone based on church membership unless I 'really' know them. What 'they' might do to me personally is one thing, and I can deal with that...what they might do to someone I care about, is another matter entirely.

[Aliensanctuary]

I suppose that any members of any church may or may not be kind, hardworking, honest, law abiding people. Church membership is no guarantee that someone is a good person or skilled at their profession.

Years ago our local SDA dentist didn't charge me for several thousands of dollars of dental work. Now that we have dental insurance, he is still our primary dentist. 

 

[Martn]

Dr. Ben Carson as Donald Trump's VP. That'd be a dream come true for me.

[BigMark]

On 5/15/2016 at 3:21 PM, Martn said:

Dr. Ben Carson as Donald Trump's VP. That'd be a dream come true for me.

That may actually happen.