From: purp@wixer.cactus.org (Jim Meyer)
Subject: Re: Requiring Membership to play
Organization: Real/Time Communications
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 06:40:15 GMT

Unto the Realto, greetings and hail from Julien Finaudere`!
In a previous cry, Grimmund Blackwing says:

> [something about requiring membership to hold office being
> counterproductive that in my haste to delete lines I killed]

Mssr. Blackwing, I understand your feelings. As officers and autocrats,
we must give considerably of our time, talent, and sweat to perpetuate
the atmosphere of the times. It is incredibly wearing to perform such
duties, and the onus of office can often weigh greatly upon us.

However, it comes to me that we should consider the reason we do these
things. For most, I would presume it is a combination of the desire to
perform duties that we know we are able to do, the desire for
gratification of ego, and the desire to give to others as we have also
benefited of the time and effort of those who initiated us into this
realm.

To enable us to continue to be a united Kingdom, tithes must be paid
that the Kingdom survive and prosper. It is not enough that we toil in
the fields, so to speak; rather, some of that bounty must be returned
that the King and Court be able to bestow their blessings on new
subjects to the Kingdom, host us at Court, and bring us all together in
the fellowship we know as SCA.

>	FYI, I am a paying member, officer (chirurgeon), andoccasional 
>autocrat.  I don't see where membership should make a big 
>difference in giving people awards, if the awards are based on 
>service or skill in a craft.  Regardless of if Jane Doe has paid
>membership, she has still sewn clothes for half my shire.  John 
>Doe has still taught our 7 fledgling archers to shoot, and his 
>membership status has no effect on that.

I fully understand that Jane or John have donated of their time, but can
they begrudge such a paltry sum in order that we may expand our Kingdom?
Would they not benefit from the publications that our Chroniclers have
to offer? Do we not all benefit from increasing our numbers? Most
personally, I feel this is true. Which is why I am also a tithing member
of the Kingdom as well as the deputy senechal of our Collegeum.

>	As Chirurgeon, I need to continue to keep up certification, as 
>well as pay dues, for the privilege of hearing my name screamed
>whenever someone gets hurt.  That's okay, I've got Stupid Hero 
>Reflexes (tm) and come running, but every so often I wonder why I 
>have to pay Milpitas for the privilege.

M'lord, that you are noble for your chirurgical kindnesses is in no way
arguable; were one to call my name to repair a gushing wound, I fear I
would fall to the ground and twitch uncontrollably. However, again, our
Kingdom must have tithes to keep it alive and growing; were the tithes
to stop, we would, I fear, fall prey to a dark age that would see such
fragmentation of the Kingdom that we could not recover from, making the
Pennsic Wars, among other noble events, an impossibility.

>	I'm pretty certain that a fair number of non-members feel the 
>same way.  Why should they pay more money to be eligible for all 
>the nasty, thankless official jobs that require membership?

Then it is our task, as subjects of the Kingdom, to enlighten them as to
the benefits of said membership, is it not?

>	Mind, I don't have a problem with it.  The $12 for the card gets 
>paid back in member's troll discounts, especially if I go to 
>Pensic.  The other $13 I am getting back as TI and my kingdom 
>newsletter.  

Indeed.

>	Euriol may have made a rather good point when she pointed out 
>that the only places membership forms are generally found is in 
>the subscription publications that members receive, or in the
>Chatelaine's handouts.  Since our chatelaine does not always get to
>our "public" meetings, we don't seem to put a lot of emphasis on 
>membership benefits.  I'd be happy if we could just set some of 
>the newcomers up with the local newsletter, let alone national
>membership.  Maybe we should sell memberships "at the gate"?

When it came my time to tithe for the first time, I had no trougle
locating the proper scroll. In our Barony, there is considerable
awareness as to the person to contact for this scroll; at the same time,
no person is made to feel that they must tithe before they are
comfortable with it. It seems an ideal situation -- those who are ready
know with whom to speak.

>	It seems to me that we are putting things backwards, and 
>associating membership with office holding.  This may make it 
>distasteful to people with an aversion to "hats".  If the
>perception is that the major benefit of being a paid member is
>that you can now hold a part-time unpaid job for the SCA, is it so 
>surprising that membership figures are not to the BoD's liking?

And again, Lord Blackwing, I would venture that you know there are other
benefits to being a tithing member of the Kingdom. Should it not be
these benefits that are stressed?

> Just my thoughts on the matter.  Yours in Service, 
>Grimmund Blackwing, Chirurgeon,
>Queen's Own Shire of Windhaven, Northshield, Middle Kingdom   

And merely my own, as well.

--Julien, Deputy Seneschal
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|  Julien Finaudere' du Main Pourpre         |  Jim Meyer DoD#680      |
|  Collegium Turris Animarum, Bryn Gwylad    |  purp@wixer.cactus.org  |
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Newsgroups: rec.org.sca