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Meetinghouse Fax machines

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:41 pm
by lorraine1950
I'm the Stake Assistant Clerk-Technology, with a question about ward fax machines. I've searched this forum, and the policies and letters section, but find nothing about fax machines.
Background: Some years ago the Church bought new fax machines for each Ward in our Stake, I'm assuming this happened for all Wards in N. America at least if not worldwide. These fax machines were instructed to be installed in bishop's offices for faxing food orders to the Bishops Storehouse, and for sending/receiving other faxes, many of confidential nature.
Currently: One Ward in our Stake was located in the Stake Center, next to the Stake offices. Somehow, they did not get a fax machine, or else it "disappeared".
That Ward has now moved into a new building recently completed, and needs a fax machine. We asked the Fac. Manager and he knows nothing about these machines, and says they will not get a new one for the Ward.
Question: Our Stake President wants to know: What is the current Church policy about these fax machines for Bishop's offices, and who replaces them when they are "lost" or otherwise non-functional? Does the FM replace them, or the Ward or Stake, or Church HQ? What are guidelines or specifications for type/model to get?

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:49 pm
by aebrown
E&LDow wrote:Some years ago the Church bought new fax machines for each Ward in our Stake, I'm assuming this happened for all Wards in N. America at least if not worldwide.
Well, I don't know who got these fax machines, but I know that our stake certainly never got them. Our stake is in the Salt Lake Valley, so distances between units and storehouses are quite compressed, so I could easily believe that there was insufficient need here to justify the cost.
E&LDow wrote:Question: Our Stake President wants to know: What is the current Church policy about these fax machines for Bishop's offices, and who replaces them when they are "lost" or otherwise non-functional? Does the FM replace them, or the Ward or Stake, or Church HQ? What are guidelines or specifications for type/model to get?
I don't know anything about fax machines per se, but when our stake center copier got replaced, we received (through the FM group) a multi-function printer which does have a fax capability. I think we've sent one fax in the last year, but at least we have the capability.

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 12:59 pm
by russellhltn
Our stake office has a fax machine, but I don't think any of the wards do.

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:16 pm
by mhackwell
We never received fax machines in our stake in central coast California.

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:47 pm
by jdlessley
Our stake (Columbus Ohio South) and wards/branches do not have fax machines supplied by the Church. We also do not fax bishop storehouse orders - hard copies are delivered.

Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:41 pm
by lajackson
E&LDow wrote:Some years ago the Church bought new fax machines for each Ward in our Stake, I'm assuming this happened for all Wards in N. America at least if not worldwide.
I am not aware that the "Church" has ever bought fax machines for each ward. I do know that in the early 1990s in our stake, the stake president bought a fax machine for each ward and one for the stake center with instructions that the monthly report was never to be late again. It was to be faxed on time.

The report is now quarterly, and we do not need to fax it, of course. But, the fax machines are still used by many of the wards to send some things to the stake center.

And no, just to clarify, the fax machines did not cause any more reports to be on time after installation than before. [grin]

Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:52 am
by lorraine1950
lajackson wrote:I am not aware that the "Church" has ever bought fax machines for each ward. I do know that in the early 1990s in our stake, the stake president bought a fax machine for each ward and one for the stake center with instructions that the monthly report was never to be late again. It was to be faxed on time.

The report is now quarterly, and we do not need to fax it, of course. But, the fax machines are still used by many of the wards to send some things to the stake center.

And no, just to clarify, the fax machines did not cause any more reports to be on time after installation than before. [grin]
I've gotten in the habit of sending a unit to unit message to each Ward Clerk in our Stake during the week before Fast Sunday following the end of the quarter, reminding them of the quarterly report being due by the 10th to the Stake. After about a year of this, some progress is noted and most units get their reports in on time. I still have some Clerks who do not read messages. :rolleyes:

Thanks to all for your responses. I've learned a lot here. Our faxes were purchased by the Church, shipped to FM Group and installed by them in Bishop's offices. Perhaps an aborted test program? Who knows. Oh, well, our Stake or the Ward will get one. They are used often in our Stake due to distances between buildings out here in the sticks. Mostly Bishops fax requests for callings forms to the Stake, and food orders to the Bishop's storehouse. Faxing orders to the Storehouse has greatly reduced the incidence of recipients adding items to the order after the RS Pres and Bishop do it.