From Pastor Laurie: Financial worries on top of it all.
The Global Economy
One of the areas of worry the pandemic is creating is about the economy. Unemployment claims in California have jumped to over 1 million according to a March 25 article in the LA times. I’ve talked with numerous friends who are worried about their jobs and others who are filing for unemployment. Here’s what you need to know according to an article in the NY Times on March 25. The stock market has plummeted for four plus weeks. Worries about incomes is causing activists and politicians to call for a moratorium on evictions and shutting off utilities. None of this is news to you.
Our Personal Economy
My concern is about how you are doing in the midst of this economic news. Some of us, in our faith community and extended communities and families, will be laid off or losing work hours. Some retired people in our congregation rely on investments for their incomes. If you are within one of these categories, you may want to reassess your giving to the church, at least for the time being, and adjust it downward.
If you have a salary that is going to continue as you work (from home or at your workplace), or if you have a reliable pension, please reassess your giving to the church, too. Only you might want to increase your giving, knowing that there are members of our church who need to reduce their giving.
Ways to Give to the Church if you are Able
If you’re wondering how to give to the church in these days when we do not have an offering plate to pass around, here’s your answer – from lowest tech to the latest app:
- You can write a check and mail it to the church. The church’s mailing address is 12540 Skyline Blvd, Oakland CA, 94619
- If you do online banking, you can set up the church as a payee.
- We have just finished signing up for a smartphone app (that also works on tablets) called Quiks to accept bank to bank donations. To get started donating, click here! It’s very intuitive. I set it up and made my first donation with it. If you need more help, here’s a tutorial on how to set it up.
Finally, stay in touch! Dealing with the pandemic is stressful enough. If you are having financial stress on top of that, don’t face them alone. Let me know and we’ll do what we can together.
Peace, Pastor Laurie
