Companionship Principles and Bank Deposits

[cahoca]

We are having a problem interpreting the the Companionship principles regarding making deposits. The way I read this is when processing donations two priesthood holders should process them and never separate in any way until the bank deposit is made. This would include riding in the car together to the bank and watching the other individual actually make the deposit.

The problem I am having her is that the companionship principle is being interpreted have been processed differently in that each priesthood holder can drive in different cars to make the deposit, and watch the one who is making the deposit.

My questions are-

1. Is it okay to go in two different cars to the bank?

2. Is it okay to be apart at anytime before the deposit is made?

[eblood66]

The Companionship Principle article in the help center is the most comprehensive statement about it that I've seen. It doesn't explicitly say that both priesthood holders have to drive in the same car but it comes close. I've always done that and that's what I feel most comfortable doing.

But our bank is a 2 minute drive from the church so this isn't hard. But I know that other wards in our stake have to drive further and do drive separately. Our stake clerk advised us that if we do drive in separate cars that we should put the deposit in the trunk of one car (together), drive with each other in sight the entire time and then both view the bag as it's being deposited. I still think staying together is best but if you're driving separately this does seem like a good safeguard.

[jirp]

Ideally it should be one car to the bank and they should not be apart. In our case though the stake president has given special permission for 2 cars. The reasons is because the church is a long distance out of town between 2 towns. While companionship principle could be managed it would take serious preplanning or lots of extra miles. Since cars are not always on the same side of the building we sometimes break up going to the cars. Who ever gets to the church parking lot exit first waits for the other to catch up. Car with the deposit envelope leads. Then we stay in sight of each other to the bank and watch the deposit. We use the sealed mail in plastic envelopes for doing the deposit. Only ever lost sight twice of the other car while I was clerk.(roughly 4 years) Once I turned off at the bank and the bishop who was behind day dreamed on by and went home instead. The other we had a car pull out and block rear car for a bit. I pulled over to wait for him to catch up and he went on by me not seeing me. Traffic was heavy and I couldn't get back on the highway. He wasn't at the bank, or at home so I went back to the church and called him and we met back at the bank.