Does the economy affect the Church?

The economy in the U.S. has been in crisis for nearly a year now. The housing market crash and subsequent foreclosures, the banks struggling, auto manufacturers nearly going bankrupt all trickle down to the everyday American. Many, many people struggle just to make it through the month with enough food and basic necessities. I am certain that the economic crisis has affected every one of my readers in some way. So, how does the economy affect the Church. It affects us in two ways.

First, like many people, it is a big factor in our financial resources. Parishioners are not able to give as much in the collection each week. Some have stopped contributing all together while nearly everyone else has reduced their contribution. Prince of Peace is blessed in that we live in a suburb of Kansas City, KS that has not been struck as much as other areas because the majority of our population are white collar workers. Even so, our weekly collections have been down between five and seven thousand dollars each week. Our weekly collection, prior to the economic crisis, averaged $42,000 so we are about 15% lower than in previous years. Again, we are blessed because I know of numerous parishes who are down as much as 40% or more. This significant loss of income is almost too much for these parishes, which are often smaller, rural parishes.

This leads us to the second result of the economic crisis. While contributions are down, the number of persons needing assistance has risen substantially. People are seeking financial assistance to pay basic bills, rent and even gas money so they can go to work. Much of this is provided by Catholic Charities but many parishes also offer assistance to their parishioners. Catholic Charities has seen an exponential increase in families making use of the food pantry. Even simple items such as clothes and school supplies are being asked for as well.

As you can see, the two challenges facing the church are in opposition to each other. Reduced income means reduced services but increased need means increased services. The solution: I don't know. I do know that we, as a Church, have an obligation to help those in need. I also know that those of us who are blessed both financially and materially have a responsibility to step forward during these difficult times and give just a little more. In other words, we are called to help others especially the poor and those in need just like Christ. Until next time...God bless.

posted by: crossman at 09:49 | link | comments |
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