I can say that there has been a discernable decline in giving. Not horrendously so. But enough to give my church treasurer the heebie-jeebies. (Of course, church treasurers of average mainline churches are apt to get 'concerned' whenever there's the least little blip).

As the link to charityUSA points out, 1/3 of all charitable giving is to and through religious oganizations and I would add that active members of religious groups also tend to give more than average to other charities. The generous impulse overflows alsewhere. So, I see names of members listed as contributors to the local symphony, to the Red Cross, the Blind Association, Planned Parenthood, and Scouts as well, far in excess of the 1/3000th of the area's population we represent.

Anyway, the income to the church I serve is off my last year, and since I get a lot of other church newsletters I know we are not alone. Given that we face quite a whack in our heating oil bill as well as a 40% increase in our electric bill in 2009, giving that's down a bit will put tremendous pressure on our ability to make ends meet. Meanwhile, the stock market decline has reduced our meager assets. Oh well.

In the face of these downward pressures, we are proceeding with --

• Our annual benefit to help 8 families struggling financially with medical bills, having set a goal of $60,000
• A capital improvement campaign to renovate our 118-year old steeple, slate roof and exterior.

Can't let a recession hold us down.

I don't have a cohesive response to your post. However, here are a few related thoughts:

• The level of spending by charities is, in my opinion, largely a measure of the extent to which our elected governments fail to perform the services we might rightly expect of them.
• Although my wife and daughter both work for the Girl Scouts, I would suggest that, while the various scouting organizations are legally described as a non-profit, it is hard to make a case for them being charities.
• You might consider the economics of replacing that slate roof with something more modest underlying a solar-thermal heating system. You might also include some photovoltaic collectors to help support your lighting requirements. The financial arguments made against the various flavors of solar power, in terms of the amortization time, do not seem to include the rapid rise in the prices paid to utilities. I would think that payback periods will really be closer to 5 years than to 15, which in any case is still shorter than the life of the systems and, presumably, also the life of your church.

What is unnerving to me is that several of the local food relief agencies are reporting not only that contributions are way down, but that families that used to donate to those agencies are now among the ones showing up and asking for help.

Children in poverty rose by a shocking 73% in the state of Colorado over the period from 2001 to 2006, the largest rate of increase of all fifty states.

Hey, I thought the wealth was supposed to 'trickle down' from those huge tax cuts Bush gave to all the billionaires.

What happened?!?

I am sure Moneybox can hold a contribute to revrick fund to help him out.

I am in . . .

Hi Phil,

I agree with your statement about how much charity comes as a result of the failure of government to do justice.

We are giving serious consideration to putting up solar panels; we'd love to see our meter run backwards.

I have a bridge for sale with easy access to Brooklyn.

Our church has volunteered at the local Soup Kitchen for 25 years. Since 2000, the numbers have doubled. The Allentown Food Bank regularly closes early because it has run out of food.

rick:

You know where I am. I need an addy. United Way and Salvation Army cut bak also. Out of work; but, I can still help.

http://www.stjohnsucccoop.org/