Change of Address
Carleen Addington

True story: A lady died this past January, and her credit card company billed her for February & March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and then added late fees & interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00, now it’s somewhere around $60.00.

A family member placed a call to the bank card company:

Family Member: “I’m calling to tell you that she died in January.”

Bank: “The account was never closed and the late fees & charges still apply.”

Family Member: “Maybe you should turn it over to collections.”

Bank: “Since it is two months past due, it already has been.”

Family Member: “So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?”

Bank: “Either report her account to the frauds division or report her to the credit bureau; maybe both!”

Family Member: “Do you think God will be mad at her?”

Bank: “Excuse me?”

Family Member: “Did you just get what I was telling you . . . the part about her being dead?”

Bank: “Sir, you’ll have to speak to my supervisor”

Supervisor gets on the phone.

Family Member: “I’m calling to tell you she died in January.”

Bank: “The account was never closed and the late fees & charges still apply.”

Family Member: “Would you like her new billing address?”

Bank: “That might help.”

Family Member: “Memorial Cemetery, Highway 129, Plot Number 69.”

Bank: “Sir, that’s a cemetery!”

Family Member: “So, what do you do with dead people on your planet?”

Bank: *dial tone*

This article “Change of Address” by Carleen Addington was excerpted from: Readers Digest, May 2005. The material is most likely copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study and research purposes.

The article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”