Church giving is down more due to COVID-19 than during the recession, according a recent survey of faith-based organizations.
Sixty-five percent of churches have seen a decline in giving since mid-March as congregations scaled down or completely halted in-person services due to the coronavirus, according to a study by the National Association of Evangelicals.
Some local clerical leaders say they are looking at tighter budgets, having to do more with less, and putting capital projects say, a new altar or refurbished meeting hall on the back burner until their financial picture is brighter.
That s because when church attendance goes down, so too do church coffers. While some regular parishioners are signed on to pledge programs that automatically deduct church donations from their accounts, many others choose to hand-submit contributions via a weekly envelope.
Last February, Fr. Lenin Vargas was indicted on 10 counts of wire fraud in the Northern District of Mississippi. In July, the Diocese of Jackson, which was also being investigated for its alleged inaction, agreed to tighten its financial controls under a deal it reached with the feds. (Dreamstime/Djedzura)
Fr. Lenin Vargas request for money seemed more fitting for a spam email than from a Catholic priest.
From 2014 until 2018, Vargas allegedly solicited funds from parishioners at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Starkville, Mississippi, where he was the pastor, for what he claimed were expenses for his cancer treatment and for charities in his native country of Mexico. But according to a federal indictment, there was no cancer treatment. Vargas had HIV and his medical expenses were covered by his employer, the Diocese of Jackson. Still, Vargas was able to raise over $33,000.
NBC 7
Christmas is typically the busiest time of the year for San Diego churches, but many have scaled back their celebrations because of the coronavirus pandemic. Churches in San Diego have been operating outdoors for a few months due to state-mandated restrictions and are now preparing for Christmas services outside.
At Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Bonita, Christmas mass will be in the parking lot and family will have to stay apart while they sit in beach chairs. Despite the restrictions, the faithful are grateful to still have a spiritual connection.
“Our ability to connect with the church and our parishioners and other community members is very, very important,” said Vic Villanes, a parishioner at Corpus Christi Catholic Church.