Stars on Sunday - free on Sunday or fee on Sunday?

[5129frederick]

Many year ago my late father and I were idly watching Stars on Sunday.  One of the guest singers was Harry Secomb while another was Callan actor Edward Woodward who had a remarkably clear singing voice and sang with real conviction O Lord my God.  My father was under the impression they gave their time freely to sing in front of the cameras.  Being the cynic I am, I'd say none of them would go anywhere near a church or open their mouths without waving a contract of employment in the producer's face.

Did they give their time freely to sing hymns, or did they want to see the colour the the producer's money first?

[ilove2patch]

I doubt very much that they gave their services for free. Why should they?

[twishy123]

They were paid the minimum Equity fee of £49......

[5129frederick]

Why should they??

I give my services for free!

"Freely you have received, (the gift of the Holy Spirit), freely give."  My Saviour tells us that in the Bible.  I don't charge to go into a church - or profess my faith publically: neither should they!  I wrote and self-published a book on private testimonies - In Him I Place My Trust.  It cost me a lot of money and took a lot of my time.  None of the contributors were paid for their testamonies - they considered it their public duty to profess the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Guide and Saviour.  it started off very slowly, but towards the end I was receiving testimonies from as far a field as Canada and a pastor in Guatemala, in Central America.  

[ilove2patch]

Surely they were making a TV programme?  Professionals get paid for 'performing'. That's the way I understand it anyway. 

[bitsnknots]

I bet you wouldn't be happy if you went out to work and didn't get paid for it would you Frederick?

[mr-expresso]

Fredrick....Sit down and prepare for a shock......

The guy leading the service also got paid......

[5129frederick]

True.  Even a priest gets paid   It's just a tad hypocritical though to have to be paid to profess one's faith.  They carry a lot of influence.  Not many of us would want to be paid to go to church, although I remember back some MP trying to put down on his expenses sheet money for attending a Remembrance Day service.  He had to make an immediate announcement that an "administrative error had occurred" I'd consider it an honour if somebody wanted me to talk about my faith on television, how I "found" God after a near nervous breakdown back in 2003.  OK, we're all money motivated to some degree, but not that motivated!

[saasher2012]

Everyone has the right to make a living the church is no different , you have to pay to be married, christened & buried, all these are Christian services , the priest or whatever you want to call them are paid to give these so why shouldn't you pay to have them, you do not have to go to church to pray if it bothers you so much, if indeed you believe in God , surely he / her is with you at all times no matter where you are?

[lhasa.two]

You cannot "perform" on a public stage or a TV programme without being a member of Equity, so as it's a public broadcast  programme anyone "performing" would be paid either a minimum amount  (if the performers agreed) or whatever the BBC contracts department agree with that performers agent.

Just because you are paid doesn't mean you are a non believer neither does it imply you should give your services for free, it depends on the circumstances. 

[cookiecookuk]

i remember many many years ago (40 +) there was a short religeous programme late at night and my sister and a couple of her class mates got to appear on this show and read a small bible reading or prayer and even they got paid for it.something like 2 shillings

[5129frederick]

You've got a point there about making money from the church i I'm not talking about priests, vicars etc.  God has plenty of other vessels out there- Cliff Richard, Billy Graham, even yours truly, although I make no money out of it.  I lost money - quite a lot if it self-publishing In Him I Place My Trust.

You're right - you don't have to go to church to pray, but if you follow Leeds United, you'd probably want to belong to its fan club so as to get all the latest news and be amongst fellow followers, so no you don't have to belong to a club, but you're happiest in that vicinity.

Likewise, I'm a card carrying Methodist.  It is where I feel happiest and like belonging to a football club, it is where I am among other like-minded Christians who enjoy the Christian fellowship and talk and pray on Christian matters.  Since my conversion God is with me 24/7, so I find it odd when you ask if I am indeed a Christian.  Somebody actually asked me am I for real - the answer is a very definite YES.

[saasher2012]

I was talking in the general sense not at you personally when I said if you believe in God, I'm sorry if you thought it was aimed at you alone. I have always stated I applaud peoples belief in their faith even though I don't share it & yes I do agree that people should be able to belong to a club where like minded people can & should come together, my point was it doesn't have to be the church, but even in a club you surely have to pay a subscription. Unfortunately if you go to a church nowadays where once you could walk in & pray or even just sit. & think, now because of the increase in theft & vandalism the doors are oft times locked, times are changing & so must we even though we don't like it at times. I honestly don't think you are being charged for praying just the vessel you wish to pray in.

[5129frederick]

No offence taken, Sam.  I'm quite happy if people challenge me about my faith.  After cracking up in 2003 I didn't have a clue what chapter of the church I wanted to belong to.  In Sittingbourne there are about eight diffferent churches - everything from Catholic to Seventh Day Adventists to Baptist.  That's why in the privacy of my own room I sought guidance.  I was guided to our local Methodist Church where I found the genuine love and fellowship so lacking in other churches.  Had God decreed I was to become a Catholic, then so be it, I would have accepted it without question.  

In my opinion, and I stress it is only an opinion, there is no right or wrong church in which to seek God's love or sanctity.  it is surely down to the individual to find the way in which he feels most comfortable and able to communicate with God and worship Him accordingly - let's face it, had it not been for Henry VIII, we'd ALL have been Catholics! 

I couldn't preach to save my life - I'd "die" on stage, but sit me in a group of about half a dozen people with a cup of black coffee in my hand, and I'd quite happily tell them about how I came to find my faith.  Like most people who "find" God I was too over the top.  It was to be six years before I'd calmed down enough for God to use me as one of his zillions of vessels.