Boom-years borrowing hits churches hard

Loans dry up, foreclosures and delinquencies rise for houses of worship

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29695636/

I think I might print a copy of that article, and hang it next to my bed so I can read it every night before I go to sleep.

Does this mean that I will finally be able to afford my dream home: A disused church?! I've always been tickled by the idea of an atheist occupying a church all by herself.

I'm with you, Libbie. I'd love to live in a church.

My uncle was recently bewailing the fact that attendance has plummeted at their church because they can't attract young people and the old parishioners are dying. So their choir has tried to sing more modern songs in the hopes that young people will want to come to their services, but the minister hates the contemporary songs. Somehow I think it's going to take more than hip music to get people into church these days.

At times like this I fondly remember my father sitting in his big green armchair reading the newspaper as my mother stood expectantly at the front door with my brother and me dressed in our Sunday best. He'd barely glance up at her and say, "I'm not going to church. All they want is my money." What a lovable cynic he was.

Tell your Uncle that all they have to do to keep their church growing is to start teaching the Bible as it was written. Teach Line by line, and verse by verse. There are churches doing it. I started attending a Bible teaching church when it had less than 300 people show up at a church convention, and few years later there were about 5,000 at the convention. The only hard part will be getting rid of the brainwashed preacher, or converting him from hogwash to Biblical truth. Of course you have to find someone to explain how to study and understand the Bible before you can teach it.

Buddy, you're in the wrong pew here.

"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)

"Where do we find a precept in the Bible for Creeds, Confessions, Doctrines and Oaths, and whole carloads of other trumpery that we find religion encumbered with in these days?" - John Adams

"The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity. Nowhere in the Gospels do we find a precept for Creeds, Confessions, Oaths, Doctrines, and whole carloads of other foolish trumpery that we find in Christianity." --John Adams

"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition [Christianity] one redeeming feature. They are all alike, founded on fables and mythology."--Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Short, _Six_Historic_Americans_ by John E. Remsberg

"Ecclesiastical establishments tend to great ignorance and all of which facilitates the execution of mischievous projects. Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise, every expanded project."--James Madison, _2000_Years_of_Disbelief_ by James A. Haught

"I would not dare to so dishonor my Creator God by attaching His name to that book (the Bible)." -- Thomas Paine

"All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit."--Thomas Paine, _The_Age_of_Reason

Libbie,
That is an AWESOME idea! I would so love to have a kegger at a foreclosed church. I'm thinking toga party. If we dress like Romans and get a lion or two, I can't see the Christians trying to crash the party.

Cheers,
Paul

I walk to work every day and there's a lady who lives in a big, old church along my walking route. As far as I can tell, she's the only one who lives there (with her little Toto dog.) I really want to talk to her and find out how she came to own a church. I've always wanted to do it.

I just think church buildings periodically go on sale. The buildings are either not up to code or the congregation has gotten too large or too uppity to worship in a small old building. There is a town of about 2000 about an hour from me that had this wonderful old, possibly turn of the century, church building that had been empty for years. One day I saw a For Sale sign on it. It was pretty dumpy by this time, but I'm sure it could have been renovated. Just keep your eyes open and if you see an empty church, try tracking down the owner of the building and seeing if they want to sell.

Can we drill holes in all the Virgin Mary statues?

"Can we drill holes in all the Virgin Mary statues?"

With what? :twisted:

--Paul

Bishop explains closings
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer

POSTED: 05:18 p.m. EDT, Mar 15, 2009

CLEVELAND: Officials in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland today released a complete list of the 52 churches that will cease to exist 15 months from now and the letters sent to those parishes explaining why.

''This is an occasion for very mixed emotions for the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Cleveland,'' Bishop Richard G. Lennon said during a morning news conference. ''I recognize that for many people, there is a sadness because the church that they know is changing.''

Beginning Saturday, parishioners in the 224 parishes of the diocese began receiving word of which churches would close, merge or remain as part of a massive reconfiguration that will result in 52 fewer parishes in the eight-county diocese by June 30, 2010.

Lennon reiterated the three primary reasons for the plan:

-- Population shifts. The ratio of parishes to the Catholic population has not shifted with the movement of parishioners away from urban areas to the suburbs.

Lennon noted that while the Catholic population in Cleveland has decreased by more than 60 percent since 1950, the Catholic population in the rest of Cuyahoga County has more than tripled.

-- Financial hardship. Forty-two percent of the parishes are operating in the red.

-- Fewer priests. There are 257 active diocesan priests, a decrease from 427 in 1990 and 565 in 1970.

''Gone are the days when parishes could have two or three or four priests or more,'' Lennon said. ''The church is being strained in its resources. We had to face reality and do something.''

The majority of the churches that are being closed 29 directly and 23 through mergers are in Cleveland, Lorain and Akron.

Parishes may appeal the bishop's decision by writing to him within 10 days. If he does not reverse his decision, an appeal can be made to the Vatican.

Akron will lose five churches: Sacred Heart of Jesus, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, St. Hedwig and Christ the King.

St. Mary will merge with St. Bernard. St. John will merge with Annunciation. Christ the King will merge with St. Martha.

One church in Barberton SS Cyril & Methodius also will close.

St. Martha, Annunciation and St. Bernard will become new entities, with newly assigned pastoral leadership. The merged churches will be responsible for the property at the church that closes and will include sacred items and artifacts from the merging congregations.

The diocese will be responsible for selling or maintaining the property of the closed parishes. Sacred items and artifacts from those churches will be made available to other parishes, including those where former parishioners go.

Lennon said the reconfiguration is not motivated by financial gain for the diocese.

He said the diocese is committed to keeping the closed properties secure and free from vandalism. That, he said, will cost money.

An additional financial burden will fall on the diocese if the properties do not sell and fall into a different tax bracket, he said.

''There is no financial benefit to the diocese. I think the diocese is going to lose money,'' Lennon said. ''It's not a moneymaker for the diocese.''

Lennon said the most important next step is to help parishioners make the transition to a new parish. A manual to help walk parishioners through the transition will be given to each parish this month.

Lennon will meet March 25 with two lay leaders and the pastors, administrators and parish life coordinators of each parish that will close or merge.

''While a particular parish may be closing, the Church will be there for all of its people,'' Lennon said. ''I sincerely hope that everyone who is going to Mass now will still be going once this reconfiguration process has been completed and that our evangelization and outreach will bring even more people to worship.''

CLEVELAND: Officials in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland today released a complete list of the 52 churches that will cease to exist 15 months from now and the letters sent to those parishes explaining why.


http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/41287962.html

Would love to see churches pay their fair share. Of course that won't happen in my lifetime.

I'm sure the economy has an impact on it. But, I also think that it's part of natural shifts in human culture. I mean, how many cults of Dionysus are there left? Despite it's similarity to all the college parties I went to, those days are gone. At some point, all the religions we practice now will be ancient history.

www.ahklein.homestead.com