Can I Get My Donation Back?

Today I got an email from a person that is not that involved - but his family is one of those important families in the congregation. The title of the email was: "Return of Candlesticks". A couple requested that someone in the congregation find the candlesticks that they bought and donated to the congregation in honor of a family member that passed away.

I knew these questions were going to start coming in. Every thing in the building has an engraving on it stating who bought it or who it was bought in honor of. I feel kind of torn on these items. I understand the sentimental attachment to the items and part of me wants the items to be given back when the congregation no longer needs them. However, there is the other part of me that sees the items as Holy Ware and a donation. It was given to the church. It was given for worship. If the current congregation can no longer use it for worship it there should be priority to find it a new home in which it can be used for it's purpose. 

Like I said, I'm mixed. I an kind of in a logic zone right now though, so I lean more toward the logic of the donation part. I am not expecting to get letters from families that left monetary memorials asking for the money back. Or from people that donated food to the food pantry asking for the food items back. We are trusted to hand the items in the food pantry over to another food pantry. We are trusted to give the money to other organizations that are doing the mission of the church.

Because I knew this was going to be a question that would probably come up more than just this instance I planned ahead (I know, I'm shocked). In the calender I mailed out a few weeks ago I listed a date for a Silent Auction and a Open House. The Silent Auction will be held in March and all the items of the church will be on display. Members of the congregation will have an evening to place bids on the items. They can bid as little as $1 or make a larger donation - or if two people really want the same item then they can bid on the item or strike a compromise. The money raised will either go toward a celebration night for the members of the congregation, or it will be given to a neighborhood mission. The committee planning the event will make that decision.

I see this as a fair way to deal with these request. Invite them to the Silent Auction. This way the person can hunt for exactly what he/she wants and my time is not spent going through cabinets and attics looking for a specific object for a specific person. And, it takes away my issue with the idea of taking back a donation.

The Open House will be two weekends later and this is when all the items that were not sold at the Silent Auction will be available for neighboring congregations. The items will be free and it will be first come first serve.

So, this is my response to the person that requested the candlesticks back:
"Of course you can lay claim to the candle sticks. We are planning a silent auction in march for members to claim items like this. This would be the perfect time to come by the church and find the candle sticks and "claim" them. We are trying to make these request as fair as possible and we figured the silent auction is a good solution. The silent auction donation can be as little as $1. All the money from the silent auction will go toward a nice catered dinner for the members or be given to a neighborhood mission.
I understand you donated the candles to the congregation and of course that means that they are very special to you and your wife. If you are unable to attend the silent auction please have your father make a bid on the candles.
All the details of the auction are still being worked out and we will share details as they come together. I hope this works for you. I can assure you that you and your wife will get the candles. We are just trying to create a process for how request like this will be handled.
If you would like to talk about this feel free to respond or call me."

Photo by: Lise Vintage Lighting, flicker.com