Complimentary Story
Editor, Wisconsin Christian News:October 2024
In October of 2023, I became a volunteer distributor of Wisconsin Christian News. My motivation was evangelism and to increase paid subscriptions in Wisconsin.
The copies that WCN’s volunteer distributors, like me, place in news racks in public places are meant to be outreach tools for the unsaved, as well as to serve Christian believers. But I am quite disappointed to learn that there haven’t been more Christians subscribing to Wisconsin Christian News, and simply relying on the “FREE” copies they find in public places. For unbelievers, and those who do not yet know Christ, these copies are meant to be free. We wouldn’t expect unsaved people to pay for a Christian newspaper. But it’s very discouraging to know that tens of thousands of Chrstians who could afford to support this ministry with a paid subscription, still choose not to, and simply prefer to get it for “free.” Please understand, nothing is “free.” Everything in this world always costs someone something.
My wife and I began tithing 10% of our income in 1994. Just in the month of August this year alone, I drove my car for 18 hours and 20 minutes, covering 530 miles to deliver “free” copies of Wisconsin Christian News to 42 different restaurants and stores. Note that my work with WCN is NOT part of our tithing.
In the August edition of this newspaper, our publisher wrote a tender appeal for subscriptions and greatly needed donations, and explained that the newspaper, after so many years has now needed to be reduced from 48 pages to 40 pages due to ever-rising expenses and a serious lack of financial support. He did not go into detail, but just imagine how many hours it takes to compile this publication each month; the literal thousands of dollars it costs to print a newspaper like this each month, and imagine the hours and miles it takes the publisher to distribute WCN each month to the locations he stocks, and to other distribution volunteers.
If you are a Christian believer, and picking up this newspaper for free on a news rack somewhere, please understand this is meant to be a “sample” copy — not an ongoing “free” publication for you to pick up every month, never contributing anything to the work. I’m troubled by the apathy and lack of response from tens of thousands of our readers of these “free sample copies.”
As of this edition, I am reducing my delivery stops to 22 locations, instead of 42. I am one of 24 volunteers who help stock this paper on news racks in Wisconsin, and our publisher also stocks countless news racks around Wisconsin. Not to mention the thousands of copies that are sent to volunteers in other states around the country. Our oldest volunteer is 93 years old!
In the last year, I’ve spent $4,167.79 repairing my car — not to mention the gas expense. Have you ever considered how much time and money it takes and all the hard work that goes in to bringing this paper to you each month so thousands can enjoy a “free” copy? All the volunteers freely devote themselves to this work. Our publisher has sacrificed more than he will ever share with you — to keep this newspaper coming. So, Christian readers, when will YOU start helping? (Subscription fees barely cover printing and postage). I’m just letting you know, if you don’t start helping in some way soon, you may soon find Wisconsin Christian News is just not there anymore. Nothing is free.
-James Frisch, Colfax, Wis.
