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Faith communities hit by economic downturn

11 Oct 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday calls on the Lord to "prosper the work of our hands." Faith communities, however, are finding little prosperity from the effects of the economic recession, a new survey said. Hard times are forcing closures of congregations and schools and the downsizing of staff and ministry programs. "In 2010, I think we're going to see 10 or 15 percent of congregations saying they're in serious financial trouble," said David Roozen, a lead researcher for the Faith Communities Today multi-faith survey, which measures congregational health annually. "With around 320,000 or 350,000 congregations, that's a hell of a lot of them." Before the stock market tanked a year ago, 19 percent of U.S. congregations described their finances as excellent, down from 31 percent in 2000, according to the poll. Mainline Protestant churches were among the most vulnerable to the downturn. But Roman Catholic dioceses for years have been struggling with maintaining their aging churches, paying salaries and health insurance, and funding settlements over clergy sex abuse. With the hit to investment income and a drop in donations, they are now freezing salaries and cutting ministries and staff. The Archdiocese of Detroit, at the heart of the economic meltdown, had a $14 million shortfall in the fiscal year that ended in June 2008. The National Catholic Education Association is still measuring the toll on its schools but expects grim news from the hardest hit states after years of declining enrollment. "Some schools that were on the brink--this whole recession has just intensified that," said Karen Ristau, president of the association. Religious leaders said the next year or so will be key in determining which organizations survive the downturn intact. Even if the recession ends soon, religious fundraisers said the uncertainty donors feel will not lift immediately, prolonging the difficulties for congregations, schools, and ministries. Source: An article by Rachel Zoll for the Associated Press

ministry karen ristau national catholic education associatio archdiocese of detroit faith communities today david roozen congregations denominations churches recession church giving church schools
A positive footnote to 9/11: Interfaith cooperation rises

18 Sep 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Isaiah encourages us to “seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near,” while the psalmist makes this worshipful pledge: “Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever” and asserts that “the Lord is near to all who call upon him.” If there is a silver lining to the destruction that occurred ten years ago on 9/11, it might be this: Interfaith worship has doubled in the U.S. in the past decade, according to a new study. Although more than seven in 10 U.S. congregations still do not associate with other faiths, the survey by an interfaith group of researchers found that about 14 percent of U.S. congregations in 2010 engaged in a joint religious celebration with another faith tradition, up from 6.8 percent in 2000. Interfaith community service grew nearly threefold, with 20.4 percent of congregations reporting participation in 2010, up from 7.7 percent in 2000, according to the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership. After the 9/11 attacks, “Islam and Islamics’ presence in the United States [became] visible in a way that you couldn’t ignore,” said David A. Roozen, one of the report’s authors and the director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. National Muslim groups tried to build bridges to other faiths, who in turn “reached out in new ways to be neighborly,” Roozen said. Reform Jewish congregations led the way, with two-thirds participating in interfaith worship and three-quarters involved in interfaith community service. Sources: Articles by Piet Levy for Religion News Service and Ecumenical News International

Muslims david a roozen cooperative congregations studies partnership community service interfaith worship interfaith cooperation 911 congregations reformed jews hartford institute for religion research
A positive footnote to 9/11: Interfaith cooperation rises

18 Sep 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The reading from the Book of Isaiah encourages us to “seek the Lord while he may be found, call him while he is near,” while the psalmist makes this worshipful pledge: “Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever” and asserts that “the Lord is near to all who call upon him.” If there is a silver lining to the destruction that occurred ten years ago on 9/11, it might be this: Interfaith worship has doubled in the U.S. in the past decade, according to a new study. Although more than seven in 10 U.S. congregations still do not associate with other faiths, the survey by an interfaith group of researchers found that about 14 percent of U.S. congregations in 2010 engaged in a joint religious celebration with another faith tradition, up from 6.8 percent in 2000. Interfaith community service grew nearly threefold, with 20.4 percent of congregations reporting participation in 2010, up from 7.7 percent in 2000, according to the Cooperative Congregations Studies Partnership. After the 9/11 attacks, “Islam and Islamics’ presence in the United States [became] visible in a way that you couldn’t ignore,” said David A. Roozen, one of the report’s authors and the director of the Hartford Institute for Religion Research at Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. National Muslim groups tried to build bridges to other faiths, who in turn “reached out in new ways to be neighborly,” Roozen said. Reform Jewish congregations led the way, with two-thirds participating in interfaith worship and three-quarters involved in interfaith community service. Sources: Articles by Piet Levy for Religion News Service and Ecumenical News International

Muslims david a roozen cooperative congregations studies partnership community service interfaith worship interfaith cooperation 911 congregations reformed jews hartford institute for religion research
Memo to churches: Gluttony is still deadly

10 Jun 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s readings the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ offer Mark’s vivid portrayal of scenes from the Last Supper. In the present age of obesity, say health observers and religious ethicists alike, standards have fallen to the point where people are more likely to stop by the drive-through window to pick up a jumbo-sized value meal than eat in the style of Jesus—who, as an observer once put it, “walked everywhere” and “loved grilled fish dinners with friends.”While it seems the sin of gluttony has fallen off the radar at most churches, obesity rates have shot up nationwide. Kaiser Health News reports that 78 million American adults and 13 million young people are obese, with grave health and economic consequences for them and the nation.Health advocates want to change that and are calling on churches to help, particularly in Bible Belt states where obesity is especially high. Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Arkansas are all top-10 states when it comes to the highest obesity rates, according to U.S. News & World Report.It’s vital that obesity be addressed from the pulpit, said Scott Morris, a medical doctor and minister who founded the Church Health Center in Memphis, Tennessee. But church practices have to change, too. “The least healthy meal you can eat every week is at your church,” Morris said, referring to the heavily fried and starched foods that often show up at church potlucks, cookouts, and fundraisers. “The church has blessed the sin of gluttony. They have the hope of being able to draw people into the church in a way that is not necessarily great for the community. We have to change that.”Stephen H. Webb, a religion and philosophy professor at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana who wrote the essay "Whatever Happened to the Sin of Gluttony?", contends the sin got lost on its way from the ancient world to the 21st century. In times of scarcity, gluttony was a sin because one person eating too much food would mean another didn’t get enough, Webb said. That argument doesn’t hold in a world where the economy runs on food conglomerates, grocery supercenters, and dining out for fun.Well-known pastor Rick Warren, who leads the 30,000-member Saddleback Church in Southern California, recently lost 60 pounds and has promoted a diet called the Daniel Plan, named for the Old Testament prophet’s commitment to light fare. “I stood up before 20,000 people and told them I had gained 3 pounds a year, but I’ve been your pastor for 30 years, so I needed to lose about 90 pounds,” he told USA TODAY earlier this year.A number of churches are offering exercise and cooking classes to help overweight members. At Congregation Sherith Israel in Nashville, members take turns working in a garden that board member Miriam Leibowitz helped start. Congregational dinners always include fresh fruit and vegetables. “Judaism, Islam, Christianity, and many other religions talk about moderation as part of whole health,” Leibowitz said. “Keeping a healthy body is just as important as keeping a healthy spirit in order to have spiritual health.” Sources: Articles by Robert Parham for EthicsDaily.com and Heidi Hall for The Tennessean

rick warren obesity congregations miriam leibowitz stephen h webb scott morris gluttony