Posted on: Saturday, December 22, 2001
In hard times, many still give to churches
By Mary Kaye Ritz and Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writers
One day last week, an occasional visitor to Central Union Church walked up to outreach missionary George Harris and gave him a $1,000 check "for your work."
Harris' work of helping people in need has increased five-fold since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks shook the national and state economies. But the good news for some churches this holiday season is that donations continue to come in and church leaders at others remain hopeful.
"We had a special drive for 9-1-1, and right after that we had a program we have every year called Neighbors in Need," Central Union administrator Jack Simpson said.
"We expected donations would not go as well with Neighbors in Need, but we had more donations to that fund than we did last year, from people who had already given for 9-1-1," he said.
The church's annual pledge drive for the operating budget is also ahead of where it was last year at this time, Simpson said.
"It's amazing what people will do when they are called," he said.
All the more amazing in a community hit harder than many by the ripple effect from the attacks.
Two University of Hawai'i economists reported last month that personal income — a total of wages, dividends and other income — is expected to drop about 1.5 percent from last year in the fourth quarter of 2001. They predict drops of about 1 percent in the first and second quarters of next year.
At Calvary Chapel, pastor Bill Stonebraker said some congregants are hearing about potential layoffs but reached deeper anyway. Giving was up 22 percent in September, 9 percent in October but down 3 percent in November compared to a remarkably high November last year. The three-month total is an 11 percent increase, according to Cynthia Carey, who handles the church's finances.
Ralph Moore, pastor of Hope Chapel Kane'ohe Bay, said attendance and offerings went "up to the moon" the first two weekends after Sept. 11.
His congregation has taken up a collection to start a food fund for members who may be out of work.
"We're not having many takers at all," he said. "... We're holding our breath, wondering if this is going to be the big downturn, but things have gone well for our congregation."
Jack Hoag, director of public affairs for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said his church won't be charting its income until the end of the year, but anecdotally, it seems to be seeing an increase in one area of giving: humanitarian aid.
In some parishes, the picture is mixed. The Rev. Dennis Koshko, pastor of St. Anthony's, reported that while attendance was high at his Catholic church in Kailua in the weeks after Sept. 11, donations to the church were down. He theorized that people were worrying about whether they needed to save for the future, and those who were giving were also giving to other charities.
However, the financial picture now seems to be turning around, said Koshko and his staff.
Rick Lazor, senior pastor of Nu'uanu Baptist, said he hasn't had trouble paying bills yet, though the budget for next year is frugal. "If there has been any change whatsoever, I would say it is in the positive vein," he said.
"Every year at this time, like other Southern Baptist churches, our offerings received during a four-week period in December are devoted totally to world missions.
"And sometimes the dilemma is that at Christmas we learn a lot more about local needs, so we wonder if we can help both those people far away who have never heard of Christ, and people right here at home as well. This year, its been good to see God give us the resources to do both."
Lazor is concerned that his church may be hit later rather than sooner. So far, he said, he knows only of a golf course worker who was laid off and has found another job, and a cruise ship chef who lost her job and is still looking.
But other members may see tighter times if the economy stays slow in Hawai'i, he said.
There are some churches reporting a dip in income. And even some of the church leaders who report their offerings are holding steady say they won't be surprised if their Christmas collection plates aren't as full as they've been in the past.
Dan Chun, pastor of First Presbyterian in Honolulu, said the ecumenical group he founded, Hawaiian Island Ministries, has even fielded calls from part-time pastors who have lost their full-time outside employment and are seeking health insurance.
Such reports are prompting church leaders to urge those who can afford to do so to help out.
Before Sept. 11, St. Patrick's in Kaimuki provided assistance to 350 families through the parish's outreach program in Palolo Valley. Last month, it served 800.
The Windward Coalition of Churches gathered donations for 140 Thanksgiving food baskets, double the number given out by the Kailua hub of the Hawai'i Foodbank last year.
Welfare cuts have also clouded the picture. Intake clerks at Catholic Charities reported that phones started ringing at 7:30 a.m. on the day that the cuts took effect.
Some pastors worry that local crises and the resulting calls for donations from social service providers might drain money from church coffers?
"Lots of giving has gone to social groups," said Chun, whose church is facing a $108,000-plus deficit. "If that's in lieu of our church, we'll find out by the end of December.
"It's like retail," Chun said. "Most of the giving comes in December. Statistically, we should all be in trouble come Dec. 31, but I say, God will take care of our needs. I am expecting, in faith, that we will break even come the end of the year."
Church leaders say tight times won't keep them from their appointed task. "God hasn't promised in the Bible to meet our budget," noted Lazor. "There's a promise that he'd meet our need."
