Church uses wristbands to stop complaining

EVANSVILLE – Bethel Temple Community Church plans to end a unique challenge Sunday that aimed to stop its congregation from complaining for 21 days.\nThe church pastor, Rev. Steve Schwambach passed out 1,900 purple wristbands sporting the phrase "No complaining! Php 2:14." to his congregation. Band wearers are supposed to switch it from wrist to wrist every time they caught themselves complaining.\nThe Bible reference (Philippians 2:14-15) says, "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault ..."\nSchwambach said he passed out the wrist bands after taking the challenge himself. He broke his first bracelet from switching wrists so often.\nThe no-complaints campaign started last summer at Christ Church Unity in Kansas, City, Mo., where the Rev. Will Bowen came up with the idea of using a wristband memory aid.\nOnce you stop voicing complaints, Bowen said, you tend to stop thinking negatively.\n"When you're complaining, you're focusing on what you don't want," Bowen said. "If you stop complaining, then you're open to the blessing."\nBowen and his church have shipped more than 5 million "no complaints" bracelets around the world to churches, sports teams, teachers, substance-abuse recovery groups and others. Demand has been so great that the wait for a bracelet is about 12 weeks.\nIt worked with at least one Bethel Temple participant. The first day of the challenge, Cheryl LeClaire caught herself complaining about five times. By earlier this week, she'd made it for three days without a complaint.