2012 conventions 2012 election 2013 session arts arts and culture author ballot measures basketball bomb books boy scouts budget bullying business charlie hales children clackamas climate change coal college courts crime culture culture club democrats drugs economy education environment family film fluoride food gay rights guns handguns health health care health insurance high school history housing immigration internet kitzhaber law legislature lgbt literary arts living marijuana marriage media medicine mental health military minor parties mohamed mohamud movies music native americans news newspaper obama olympics oregon our town parenting pers photography police politcs politics port portland portland business journal president prevention public safety religion republicans rnc romney rural salem sam adams sandy hook schools science shooting sports suicide supreme court taxes technology terrorism theater third parties transportation union university of oregon washington wildfire women

Throughout this recession, I have seen my income reduced, been laid off, liquidated my savings, and liquidated what I had in my 401K account...all to keep my home, to keep from filing bankruptcy, and to allow me some more time to find another job. In the end I lost my home and declared Bankruptcy.

It is important to note that a good portion of the firm that I worked for went to a very well known church in the Portland Vancouver....throughout this ordeal, I kept praying for a job...I could see what was happening and I was begging for help from my congregation....

I tithed regularly with notes on each gift that I really needed to find a job...you would think in a congregation that boasts itself of over 5000 people that there would be some type of breakthrough.....

Not once did I hear from my pastor, my associate pastor, no calls, no emails, nothing...one day I received an email from the church about financial giving....

I answered  back...where were you when I needed help? I got an email back from one of the parishiners wanting to know who did not contact me....I answered back that at this time it did not matter...the person that was writing the email did not even offer to help me....even then. Keep in mind that I was not asking for money..just someone to talk to, to  pray with me...

I realized that the pastor...whose income was over $100,000 a year and the vested interersts of the associate staff was all about the income derived from tithing and had nothing to do with me as a parishiner and what my needs were.

What I have learned from all this...you really need to have faith in yourself...how strong is the God in you...forget about the sermons and the speeches..in the end it is you and your God...not the building or the people who are in it. Not the big productions or the grand oratory....just you and the God in you. In the end you and your God are the only two entities weathering the storms...together.

Thank you..Alice Sturgill

posted 3 years, 5 months ago
view in context