The Christmas snowstorm of 2009 hit at one of the worst possible times for churches.
It was bad enough that the storm prevented thousands of families from observing the holiday in church amid the ringing of handbells, the singing of carols and the telling of the Christmas story.
But the storm also led to lean collections on Christmas and the Sunday after, at a time when the Christmas spirit and year-end contributions usually give churches a boost.
That has left many churches looking — and praying — for ways to compensate.
“Wow,” said the Rev. Leroy E. Adams Jr., pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church in Omaha. “That's my reaction. Wow.”
Usually, about 500 people attend Christmas morning services at Morningstar, 2019 Burdette St. Adams canceled that service for safety's sake.
Services went ahead on Sunday. But only about 300 people made it to church, instead of the usual 1,200.
Echoing several other church leaders, Adams said the leaner offerings won't bust the budget — but they did take a painful bite out of it. He said he hopes that Sunday giving this weekend will fill some of the gap.
“I'm going to give a friendly exhortation to give a little extra to make up for last Sunday,” Adams said.
At St. Michael Lutheran Church in northwest Omaha, church leaders sent out an e-mail blast this week reminding parishioners that there was still time to make those year-end contributions.
Christmas Eve services were relatively well-attended — 510 people, down from the usual 700 — at St. Michael, 13232 Blondo St.
“The Christmas plate was still pretty good,” said Wayne Grupe, volunteer business assistant at the church. But those offerings are designated for a charity, Lutheran Family Services.
And St. Michael canceled two of its regular weekend services. Attendance was light at the service that went on as scheduled. That left the church trying to fill a year-end budget gap of about $20,000.
The e-mail reminded parishioners that the church office would be open until noon today for those who wanted to make year-end contributions.
Many Catholic pastors rely on Christmas collections to help them make budget for the year, said the Rev. Joseph Taphorn, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Omaha.
Calling snowstorms “a fact of life in Nebraska,” Taphorn noted that parishes' fiscal years go into June. So there's time to make up for lost donations. That said, he added that some of the donations that people would have made at Christmas Masses probably won't be made later.
“It's a missed opportunity, and you won't make it back completely,” Taphorn said. “But we come from a position of faith, so we have faith that people will come through in other ways to support the work of the church.”
At St. Patrick Catholic Church in the Elkhorn area, the Rev. Ron Wasikowski said he wasn't so much concerned about money as about people having missed out on Christmas Masses.
“God is going to provide,” Wasikowski said. “If we need the money, the folks are going to come through.”
Nonetheless, Christmas and weekend attendance and collections were down significantly at the 1,650-family parish. The attendance tracked the storm severity: 4 p.m. Christmas Eve, about 1,000 people; midnight Mass, 125; three Christmas Day Masses, a combined total of 62.
Wasikowski sent out an e-mail this week reminding people that according to their faith's calendar, there are 12 days of Christmas — and Dec. 25 is only the first.
The e-mail included St. Patrick's Mass schedule for Jan. 1 (the Feast of Mary for Roman Catholics) and for the regular weekend.
“If you couldn't do it on Christmas Day, then gather your relatives and friends and neighbors and do it on another day,” Wasikowski said. “We'll sing carols.”
The Rev. Larry Moffet is taking a similar approach at First United Methodist Church in Lincoln. He put out the word to parishioners of special services at 8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 3.
He labeled the Sunday services “Christmas in the Daylight.” They will employ two of First United Methodist's favorite Christmas traditions.
People are invited to bring bells and ring them whenever they feel like doing so during services. And glow sticks will be handed out — something usually done on Christmas Eve. Candles aren't used because of all the wood in the century-old church.
As for money, Moffet said, the church is within about $25,000 of making its more than $600,000 annual budget. He said that's pretty good, considering the down economy. Of course, the December snowstorms not only held down attendance, they also busted the church's snow removal budget. And there's a lot of winter left.
The stewardship committee and Moffet are touching base with some of the church's key givers, he said.
At the nondenominational Christ Community Church in Omaha, leaders planned gentle year-end reminders about giving via e-mail, blogs, Facebook and Twitter, said Nick Kelly, communications director.
Christ Community's Christmas Eve turnout was pretty good — about 1,800 adults, despite the cancellation of two of four services. On Sunday, only 1,627 adults made it to church, down from the usual 3,000.
Automatic withdrawals, something that churches are using more and more often for donations, mitigated the storm's impact for Christ Community, as it did for others. But the church still “took a hit,” Kelly said.
“If it was a business situation, you'd be looking at it as a dire situation,” he said. But it's a church.
“It's always come through in the past, and if need be, I'm sure it will again.”
Contact the writer:
444-1057, christopher.burbach@owh.com
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