The faith communities in and around Madison have been critical to filling human services gaps for years, but the needs are increasing beyond what they can handle, and they shouldn’t have to provide for basic needs in the first place. The faith community responds to comments by Lynn Green, Director of Dane County Human Services.
Link to video here. The statement from Alexander Liberatore, Pastor Lake Edge United Church of Christ is particularly directed at the comments by Lynn Green, Director of Dane County Human Services.
They are responding to the comments by Lynn Green during the Health and Human Needs budget deliberations, which is very obvious in Pastor Alexander Liberatore’s comments.
In addition to the statements in the video by Linda Ketcham, Executive Director of Madison-area Urban Ministry, Michal Schuler, Senior Pastor First Unitarian Society of Madison, Karen Andro, Director of Outreach Ministries, 1st United Methodist Church, Rev. Miranda Hassett, Rector St. Dunstan’s Church. Also in attendance Rev. Amanda Stein, Sun Prairie United Methodist, Pastor Phil Haslanger, Memorial UCC.
There was an extensive press packet that I’d like to share as well.
Press Release
Dane County Human Services Budget vs. Actual
Statement from Linda Ketcham, Executive Director Madison-area Urban Ministry
Statement from Michael Schuler, Senior Minister First Unitarian Society of Madison
Statement from Everett Mitchell, Senior Pastor Christ of the Solid Rock
Statement from Alexander Liberatore, Pastor Lake Edge United Church of Christ
Statement from Eldonna Hazen, Congregational United Church of Christ20141107093920
Statements from the following churches about the services they provide:
– St. Luke’s
– St. Stephen’s
– Lake View Lutheran
– McFarland United Church of Christ
– Memorial United Church of Christ, McFarland
– First Baptist Madison
– St. Dunstans
– James Reeb Unitarian Universalist Congregation
– Temple Beth El
There are many other churches doing a what they can, when they can, but as they said, this isn’t a viable or sustainable system of delivery of these services, its hard on the clients and most are not trained to deal with these issues or have the time necessary. Many thanks to all in the faith communities that do so much for so many of our brothers and sisters that are forgotten by everyone else, and thanks for standing up and speaking to the issues you are seeing in the community.
A recent study by the Family Acceptance Project on the impact of family rejection of LGBT youth found that parents who identify as “strongly religious” were significantly more likely to reject their children. According to research by the Center for American Progress, there are an estimated 300,000 homeless LGBT youth in our country, and the leading cause of their homelessness is family rejection.
it is a good time to leave the church and keep your family.
The average for a church is 27% of revenue going to real charitable ends – compared to a well rated charity which puts of 95% of funds into the charitable goal.
The average for a church is 71% in operating expenses… a lean charity runs less than 5% in overhead.
For worst case, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS or Mormon Church), which regularly trumpets its charitable donations, gave about $1 billion to charitable causes between 1985 and 2008. That may seem like a lot until you divide it by the twenty-three-year time span and realize this church is donating only about 0.7 percent of its annual income.
Walmart donated $1.75billion in just food aide last year alone.
it is a good time to stop pretending any Church can help at anything and disband them all.
I think it is unfair to lump all religions and/or denominations together under one umbrella. Many faith communities and denominations are very supportive of the LGBT community, I say this as an out lesbian, director of an interfaith organization and member of First Congregational United Church of Christ.
Without Grace Episcopal Church, First United Methodist Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church there would be no men’s shelter space in this community. Those churches do not charge rent for their space, but they do incur the increased utility usage, maintenance and liability insurance cost for those uses, the same for all of the churches who are part of The Road Home network of congregations.
In Dane County I work with dozens of congregations that give very generously to support not only the human service agencies through their donations of space, food, volunteers and financial giving, but they also provide bus tickets, meal tickets and housing assistance to individuals who come to them looking for help. Is it enough? No, the need grows and we have elected officials and an electorate that doesn’t want to support increased fees or taxes to adequately support the safety net.
I think your break down of expenses are skewed – to be fairly compared you would need to itemize what you are calling expense and what you are calling overhead. I don’t know if any non-profit that could operate on 5% overhead, ours has an administrative rate of 7.19% but that strangles us for things like equipment upgrades and maintenance. Most churches have buildings, those add to upkeep, but many, many of them donate space in those buildings for community groups and organizations to use. At our agency we run a vocational training program, the first two months of the program is classroom time, we receive donated space 30 hours per week to hold those classes, and they provide access to their copier, paper, etc… at no cost to us, that doesn’t show up necessarily in a budget as charitable or mission giving but it is, it saves our agency $25,000 in additional rent we would have to pay.
Are there congregations that fit your description? Of course, but is it fair to paint all churches with one brush? No.
Churches are made up of members, people like me, like my parents who taught Sunday School and because of their faith embraced their gay son and lesbian daughter. There are faith traditions that teach differently, but to suggest all churches are the same is disingenuous. Research has also found that more education someone has the more likely they are to support lgbt rights including marriage equality.
Your suggestion to disband all churches is dismissive and disrespectful of the individuals who are members, who hold a different belief system than you. How is your position any different than that of the churches and parents who are so intolerant they throw their children into the streets?
Where on their website is the study you referenced? I find a summary but not a full report and the summary does not reference religious beliefs.