Friday, August 6, 2021

Standing on the Cliff

 

Financial Cliff


The Episcopal (TEC) Diocese of Vermont's in trouble, which is weird because they have a famale person of color (POC) at the helm. Problem is, no one's going to their churches or parting with cash. 

This got bishop figure MacVean-Brown worried, so she hired a consultant, Stephen Burnett, who used to work for Deloitte, no less. What did Stephen say?


Bishop Figure

That you're spending more than you're getting, "The Bishop envisioned financial shortfalls early on in her ministry, and we can reaffirm that there is, in fact, trouble ahead, likely in the first quarter of 2023, where, without intervention, expenditures will far exceed revenues.” 

Oops, there you are on that old "financial cliff." So what to do, apart from hiring consultants and appointing "task forces"? Merge with other failing dioceses, obviously, in this case New Hampshire and Maine. And we have to ask, does the Episcopal Church and its lib mainstream protestant, bow tie, seer sucker sorority even have the will to live at this point?


Downsized

Not really, just look how they shut down in the face of a virus that kills what, 0.2something of the people it infects. Or less. But hey, their religion was never the Gospel of salvation, more the gospel of the New York Times and, apotheosis achieved, why not retire? 

Tough luck on MacVean-Brown, though. She might be looking for a job.

Cheers,

LSP

19 comments:

RHT447 said...

Wisdom from Father Guido--

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR8hKgzgDNs

Well Seasoned Fool said...

People can still vote with their money.

Old NFO said...

+1 on WSF. Money still talks in religion too!

LSP said...

Very helpful, RHT!

LSP said...

Aye, WSF, they can.

LSP said...

NFO, the "root of all evil."

Wild, wild west said...

Sounds like they're voting with their feet too, WSF. And who could blame them for either.

Adrienne said...

Sounds like the lesson my first hubby (RIP), a consummate business type, taught me: "This is all you need to know about running a business, darlin' (he was a born and bred Texan hence the darlin'.) You have so much money coming in and so much money going out. What's coming in better be more than what's going out." End of lesson. He was right.

The sight of a woman tricked out in bishop togs is very disconcerting. Why the hell can't people accept their place in the world? A woman has no place on an altar.

Infidel de Manahatta said...

Perhaps transsexual priests will save the diocese?

Anonymous said...

And yet.... Traditional Latin Mass parishes are attracting more families, and showing surplus revenues every year. There’s an obvious lesson there, compared to the New World Order churches.
SouthernNH

LSP said...

WWW, Vatican 2? Empty the pew. That applied across the board, apparently.

LSP said...

It's weird, Adrienne. Money in, money out. Make these factors balance.

Apparently that's racist.

As it is, I try to restrict the use of "darlin" even tho it's often tempting!

LSP said...

BUt Infidel, of course they will! Time to appoint another Task Force.

LSP said...

SouthernNH, you need to report yourself for thought crime. Immediately.

Adrienne said...

Well, I'd sure like to hear "darlin" with an English twist. That should be interesting.

I still harbor many Texas things like darlin' and one and my favorites which drives hubby crackers - "cutting something half in two."

Adrienne said...

@anon - Our parish (FSSP) harbors hundreds upon hundreds of young families with bunches of cute kids. Our monthly take is usually twice or more what the NO parish in our town takes in just for general collection. (Yes - I occasionally check the bulletin online.) Add another 25K - 100K for our building fund per month and you can know with some certainty who is thriving.

LSP said...

Glad to oblige, Adrienne. And congrats on the young people. Weird, eh, how the very demographic Vatican Two Empty The Pew was supposed to attract didn't?

Adrienne said...

And..................we have the cutest babies evah. The new mums are usually in the other room with their babies and are last to be in line for communion. I call it the "parade of babies." Such a distraction!

LSP said...

Congrats on the babies, Adrienne! Weird, isn't it, how trad Christians (synonymous) are having children and the others aren't. Perhaps the latter have a death wish?