Executive Pastor David Troublefield read a comment on XPastor that said, “And if you want to forget all your troubles, eat a cherry popsicle while running through the sprinklers barefoot!” So David put on his administrator thinking cap and saw all sorts of problems of doing this at church. Have a laugh as you see his thoroughness in considering the problems of eating that popsicle!
Some questions to consider if planning an “eating a popsicle while running through the sprinklers barefoot” event at your church:
- Where are Accident/Injury Report forms being kept now?
- What is our liability if toes are broken while running among the sprinklers in the yard?
- Was the required Health Information and Release from Liability form completed by the runner and notarized prior to this event?
- Is the runner (and any associates) bonded and insured for this event, and is his supporting documentation on file?
- Has our insurance agent been notified that this running event actually was a spontaneous one for which permission was neither sought nor granted?
- Has the Medical Ministry Team (MMT) been notified to attend this running event?
- Are the MMT’s Red Cross life-saving certifications current?
- Does anyone on the MMT have prior experience using a portable defibrillator?
- Is it possible for the MMT to practice using the defibrillator prior to the running event?
- Have traffic control officers been hired for this event (what is their per-hour rate of pay)?
- In the event of rain, has an alternate date for this running event been calendared?
- If a death occurs as a result of this running event, must a memorial plaque be erected?
- How long will it take the Grounds Crew to replace sprinkler heads broken by running among them, or by being fallen upon (and to mow around a memorial monument erected), in the yard?
- What has become of the “Keep Off the Grass” signs we posted last year?
- Whose idea was this running event?
- Should oversight of this event be included in some staff member’s annual review?
- Will a loss of wages occur if the running event is not considered a success?
- Are our grievance policies up-to-date?
- Was the popsicle purchased individually or did we get a volume discount?
- Was the popsicle obtained via an approved purchase order referencing a specific general fund budget account or a designated account, and was a Check Request Form completed in triplicate as required? Was a purchase receipt returned following the purchase? Were we charged a sales tax?
- Is the runner in this event actually the Student Minister, and did he take a popsicle from the freezer in the Preschool area—again?
- After the popsicle is eaten, can its stick be sanitized and placed in storage with other such sticks in the Preschool Supplies Closet?
- If the stick is broken during a fall, can any of its pieces still somehow be used for preschool crafts or as an object lesson for a Bible story?
- Does use of the word “popsicle” in any of our publications require the notation of our CCLI number?
- Will this running through the yard among the sprinklers become an annual event?
- Can tickets be sold for this event, and the funds gathered be given to missions (after expenses)?
- Can we just sit on the sidewalk and imagine running instead?