With tens of thousands of travel and airport workers being laid off and travel related business in the tank. Is the Church ready for the potential short fall in revenue and increase for social assistance among its members? My Prayers to you all

Love and Peace

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2001

Answers

In short the answer to your questyion is no. Over the last decade we have lived in times of unparallelled financial prosperity in this nation but our church has continued to struggle. While the governemnts were balancing budgets and cutting spending we were raising budgets just to make ends meet. It seems to not have occured to our leadership that after any boom economic cycle there is a bust cycle and we have failed to prepare for that. Unitl the church decides to embrace sound management policies we will continue to have a hand to mouth existance. The Lord will see us all throught any rough times that may be ahead, but at some point we have to begin to learn to plan, manage and prepare or we will always remain just this side of finincial disaster.

-- Anonymous, September 30, 2001

Bro. Brangman,

You have asked a most profound question. This is a question that needs to be addressed all the time. Of course, we in the Black church are not prepared because we have not established any sort of economic strategy in previous years.

In Richmond, Va, I notice that many of our homeless are Black folk. Although, we are grateful to our Black churches which provide meals, I have noticed that the white congregations provide more comprehensive services to our people such as emergency shelter, drug rehab, medical clinics, emergency fuel assistance, and etc. It is true that these white churches receive donations but they also have a team of astute individuals which invest the revenues.

I went to an evening service at a white church one Sunday night and towards the end, the minister called a brief business meeting. This church of about 400 plus middle class individuals was planning to build a school for their children. The minister recommended that they sell 600 shares of their Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance to raise some capital. This church has built their school.

For some reason, Bro. Brangman there is an aversion to investing church revenues in the Black church. It's incredible to me that some Black congregations take in $250,000 to 2 million a year for 20 to 30 years and spend it all. We can support the work of God through sacrificial giving such as tithes and offerings but in the mean time we need to be investing the monies received wisely so that we can address the needs of our own members. I do know of a Black congregation in my hometown which functions as a family in this manner. If a member of this church loses their job, the church will take care of them. As a matter of fact, members who have lost their homes in fires have had them rebuilt and cars have been retrieved after being repossessed. Members who have gone to jail have been bailed out. That's what church is all about.

JazzMan

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001

Thank you for the responses posted. I agree with both of you and have been successful (thus far) in having the Connectional Church re- engineer its business relationships and their related cost into better savings for the body.This subject must continue to be a critical part of our Church and electronic discussion if the African (Black) Church is to expand its growth and economic development.

Again Thank You for your responses thus far

God Bless You

-- Anonymous, October 02, 2001