Answering machine …

Christian Century, April 6, 2004 by Francis Turpin

THE ARTICLE on unanswered phones is hard on the small church (News, Feb. 24). None of my seven parishes had even a part-time secretary. Only three had a phone in the church, which would have been answered only when I was present. In four parishes the office was in the parsonage. The only one to answer would have been my wife (when she wasn't working) or me. A most likely time for an answer would have been outside of "business" hours. There were so few inquiries about our church that volunteers would have quit out of boredom, and expensive gadgets would have been an unwarranted expense. I think an answering machine is the best solution for the small church.

Francis Turpin, West Bend, Wis.