OK. It's not the parting of the Red Sea. But I'm sill chalking this one up to Divine Intervention. As longtime readers may have gleaned from occasional references, our mission parish in Merced CA has been going through some very challenging times over the last several years. Money has been a tough subject here with debts piling up (our priest is now several months behind on pay) and the economic situation here is simply horrific. The Central Valley of CA is one of the hardest hit areas in one of the hardest hit states in the country. The New York Times called Merced "ground zero" for the real estate collapse that triggered the current Great Recession. The local unemplyment rate is around 25%. (That's depression level.) And I think it may be higher in our congregation. Things have been so bad that there have been moments where we were not altogether sure we were gong to make it.
And yet this last weekend we celebrated our 25th anniversary as a parish. In the small borrowed chapel we use for our services we managed to cram into the altar area one bishop, our own priest and some 14 (I think) visiting clergy who came to help us give glory to God on our Parish Feast Day. (Yes. It's the lesser feast for Saint Mary Magdalene but it's just too hot here in July for us to keep the major feast.) After one of the most wonderful hierarchical liturgies (with an incredibly timely sermon on putting our trust in God) I have been privileged to participate in we repaired to a reserved hall for a feast fit for royalty.
Well OK... maybe more like greater nobility, but still; it was pretty awesome with much wine, champagne, dancing and general merriment over great food with great company. All in all a very classy affair that was really fun. That by itself was a minor miracle.
Then today comes the second demonstration of divine favor. We on the parish council get an email from our Treasurer reporting the receipt of a wholly unexpected check from PG&E for enough money to cover Fr. David's back pay. Apparently PG&E owed us a refund for some work we had done many years ago for which they were overpayed.
We are still up to our chin in red ink. But we are no longer sinking. Our other financial obligations, although by no means unimportant, do not pose a realistic threat to our survival as a mission parish.
Glory to God!
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ReplyDeleteJohn,
ReplyDeleteI feel for you. Our mission is also financially in bad straits. We, however, have never had a full-time priest, so we are fortunate we are not responsible for someone's livelihood, or a major part of it. Our unemployment numbers are nowhere near yours, and have only one unemployed among our 10 or so members. It is indeed a struggle to continue the effort. So although our troubles are not yours, please accept my sincerest prayers for your parish, your priest, and all the members thereof, that you overcome all obstacles to the proclamation of the Kingdom.