This Sunday is the kick-off of our ADA (Annual Diocesan Appeal) drive. I was going to spare you the details and just write about the Sunday readings, but I thought this might be a good time to look at the practical side of running a church and a diocese (jurisdiction of churches headed by a bishop).
Let's face it, the Church doesn't run on spirit alone- it does take money to keep it staffed and the lights on. Priests need to eat, the staff needs to make a living, churches and rectories need maintenance and repair. Religion (and life) ain't cheap!!
My pastor said that he realizes that our contributions do require some sacrifice from us, especially in these economic times. Hey- my husband is making $40,000 less than he was last year, believe me, contributing to the Church isn't as easy as it used to be. We do try to actually tithe: give 10% of our income, but there are times that is just too difficult. We feel it's important to donate to the Church to show ourselves where our priorities lie. We live as simply as we can, within our means, and we try to focus on spiritual growth, family, friends, and helping others. The comfort our religion gives us is more important than other things we could be spending our money on, (although we have our little luxuries- don't get me wrong- we're not hermits!!) and so we make it a point to make regular donations to the Church and a couple of charities. Have we scaled our donations back? You bet! Have we at times had to skip a donation or two because times were too tight? Absolutely! When times get better we will ramp our donations up accordingly, but for us the important thing is that we contribute to the upkeep and care of what is important to us. Food for thought!
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