Q & A - Church Order
Questions 230 (COD Page 896)
What about the tapes? Now. As...What about the tapes? It’s got a question mark. As, many are writing the office and blaming you for the action on the tapes. Also, about others around the church selling tapes, if Mr. Maguire has to pay royalties on them.
110 All right. The tapes is by a contract. And if I...I don’t know just exactly when the contract is expired, but the trustees, this belongs to the trustees; not the deacons, the trustees; not the pastor, trustees. The trustees, ever so often, they–they write a contract, as I understand it. And if this–this is wrong, then the trustees correct. These trustees has an agreement with the person who is making the tapes, and the tapes are by franchise.
111 No one else can make tapes unless it be permitted by the person that has the franchise, and they cannot be sold unless permitted by the person that has the franchise, because that’s the law, see, that the franchise holds it. See? And if the fran-...the one who holds the franchise wants to let So-and-so make tapes, that’s up to him. If he wants to let everybody make tapes, that’s up to him; if he wants everybody to sell tapes, that’s up to the person who holds the franchise. He should have a–a little written note signed from the holder of the franchise, to make and sell tapes, because then he’s clear in the law. Cause if he don’t, the man, has the franchise on it...You being liable, yourself, to a...(If there’d be a–a foul person that wanted to cause some trouble, he could really do it.) you go over that franchise, ’cause that’s just like a copyright, you see, the same thing. You’re not allowed to do it; it’s a great fine to do that.
112 So if the people are making tapes, perhaps they have an agreement from Mr. Maguire who–who has...who–who draws royalties on the tapes. And now...and I don’t know about that, ’cause I’m not here enough with you to know who these things are, and who it would be referring to. I suppose that Mr. Maguire still has it, because out there, I’m in California or Arizona, where I’m at, I understand they’re still buying tapes from California. Brother Sothmann, the father-in-law of Mr. Maguire, which is our brother here in the church. I think that Mr. Maguire still has it, the–the franchise on it.
113 And now, there has been complaints all along on the making of the tapes. Now, when there is a complaint on anything pertaining to the finances of this church, it’s duty bound to the trustees to see that thing is cleared. See? There should not, by any means, be anything. Now you see here, it says on this card here, that:
They’re writing to the office and blaming you.
114 Frankly, I’ve had many letters on it, and want to know why they can’t get their tapes. Now you know your contract with the one who has the franchise, as I understood...The tapes, I–I want nothing to do with them, myself, if anybody can use the tape for furthering the Gospel, “Amen!”
115 But, first, Brother Roberson and them started to make them, Brother Beeler and several of them started to make them; and then the two boys, Brother Mercier and Brother Goad, made them for years; and, of course, when each one of the man has made them, there has been complaints on every one. But, it seemingly here lately, there’s been a great complaint about not getting their tapes. People has called me up from across the country. And then another, being, re-tracked tapes that’ll be playing one thing one minute, and play back on another, another thing, and then they can’t even understand what they are.
116 Now, these people paying for these tapes should get a genuine tape. I don’t care what they have to do to get it, we want to see our customers and our brothers (which they are our customers and our brothers, so forth), they must have a “A-number-1” tape. Now, you trustees see to that, that these people are satisfied. If not satisfied, their money must be returned to them immediately.
117 And someone’s called me, and say they been waiting for months for tapes. Now, I don’t know how Brother Maguire tends to this. I–I don’t know about that, as I know nothing about it. And I...It’s none of my business to know nothing about that, it’s his business with them and the trustees. And I’m not trying to step in it, but I’m just telling you what the law of it is. See? The law of it is that these tapes, from the time that they send for them, them tapes are supposed to be on their road within a day, or three, or four, or five days; after they send for them tapes, it’s got to be in the mail or the franchise could be cancelled at any time when these orders are disobeyed. See?
118 Now, and every six months or a year, this is supposed to be renewed, this agreement is supposed to be renewed. You’re supposed to meet on this certain date that this franchise says that you’ve got to meet. And then it’s supposed to be, that’s, other people are supposed to come in at that time, and you’re supposed to notify others who have been asking about the tapes, and come in with their agreement and set down and talk it over.
119 Now, these orders must be carried out! See? And it must be carried right, because it is complaining. They complained with Leo and Gene, they complained with every one, it’s complain with Brother Maguire, and it’ll be complain with somebody else, but let’s find out what the complaining is.
120 Now, but when the tapes are begin to pile up, boxes of them, letters by the dozens pouring in, and they...See, it doesn’t fall back to the tape maker, it falls on me. They’re always bawling me out about it. Now, it’s my duty as a Christian to see that the people get what they pay for, and I want you trustees to see that they get it. If they have to charge more, get a better tape, get a better machine, we want somebody to make that tape who makes it right. That’s our interest. The tape must be made right! And the customer must be satisfied, or stop the whole tape thing altogether, we won’t have no tapes, just let anybody make them that wants to. But if they’re going to charge for them, let them see that they get what they paid for, ’cause that’s Christianity. That’s no more than do...
121 And when they come here to listen to the Gospel, I want to give them the best that I know how to give them, see, and when they come here I want you to see that everybody and everything’s carried on. That’s the reason I’m telling you deacons, trustees, and pastors, here tonight, that you must carry this out to the letter, because the people are coming here to find God, and we got to have these things in order.
122 And also the tapes must be put into the place. If they have to charge more, if they got second-class tapes they’re running, then get better tapes. If they have to charge more for them, charge more for them, let the person get what they charge for.
123 I’m not interested in one bit of royalty, not one penny, and neither is the tabernacle interested; I don’t want you to be. Don’t be interested in that, in–in royalties. If they’d pay some, I guess you’d have to take a little royalty on account of it being made here. I think that’s something they said, Mr. Miller, and them, about the law, we had, take certain royalties or so forth. That’s up to you all to see to that. I’m not, have nothing to do with–with what that’s set together; you all take care of that. I can’t take care of all of it, I’m just telling you the way it should be and must be run. That...You understood, I said “must be run.” So we want this run out right.
124 And if they have to have a better machine to take it, then get a better machine. If it has to be...Now, I said to them, I said, “Every mee-...mission that I go into the field, before I go, I’ll notify you what sermons I’m going to preach on out there, something that I’ve already...” And I promised you all, which I’m going to retake back again Sunday night, that “Before I preach any new message, it would come from this tabernacle first, because they seem to get a better recording.” You remember that? Then what I come here, preach my messages, then go back out and notify the tape man what services. They ask me, “What ones? What you going to preach?” I
told him, “this night I’m going with so-and-so, this night, so-and-so,” so they can have it made up and ready for the customer to get it right there; got it right with them, a better tape than they have out in the meeting, because it’s made right here at the tabernacle where the acoustics are good. See?
125 Now, now going into this great evangelistic, what I’m going to do now in overseas and things, I can’t promise that, you see, I can’t promise that I’ll preach my first message here. Because when you preach around, the messages, you’ve got to have something that’s...It’s gets stale to you, and it’s bound to get stale to the ones that’s listening at it. You’ve got to do something different, you see, and bring just as the Message is there. But let them put a machine in the field, or whatever it is, that’ll take these tapes perfectly.
126 And make a perfect tape, and each tape played back and checked before it goes, or just stop the whole thing; don’t even have nothing to do, let every man make his own tape. See? But get it done right, see, so that this complaint will stop. We don’t want no complaints at all. If there is a complaint, let’s take care of it, then we have it over with.
127 Now, I’ll hurry just quick as I can. Billy got about two more questions here, or three, then we’ll be finished.