Posted on 12/30/2009 8:46:19 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Pastor Rick Warren urgently asks faithful for $900,000 December 30th, 2009
It’s been a heck of a year for mega-pastor/bestselling author/power broker Rick Warren of the enormous Saddleback Church. It started out with Warren’s invocation at the historic inauguration of one President Barack Obama - and it concludes with Warren asking his flock to cough up nearly $1 million in just two days to keep the church out of the red.
“Dear Saddleback Family,” begins today’s missive from Warren. “THIS IS AN URGENT LETTER unlike any I’ve written in 30 years. Please read all of it and get back to me in the next 48 hours.
“I have thrilling news to share with you below but first some seriously bad news: With 10% of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated. Still, with wise management, we’ve stayed close to our budget all year. Then… this last weekend the bottom dropped out.
“On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive - leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year, unless you help make up the difference today and tomorrow.”
The church does not make its financial information public, so it’s impossible to tell just how big of a hole in the boat this $900,000 represents. A spokeswoman for Warren said the church does not release detail on its finances, so it’s hard to put the shortfall in context. (Suffice to say it may not represent a terribly significant portion of Saddleback’s annual budget, and that his personal appeal may well close the hole, and then some.)
In his letter, Warren goes on to detail the church’s accomplishments for the year, and then says:
It’s obvious that your giving through your church family is providing more “bang for the buck” than anything else you could support. It is no wonder that our ministry was named the top religious newsmaker of 2009 as reported by Associated Press.
YOU CAN HELP SAVE THE DAY 3 WAYS BEFORE JAN 1.
1. Click HERE right now to and give as large an end-of-the-year gift as you can to help avert this crisis. If we all do what God leads us to do, we’ll all be a part of a miracle. 2. Mail in your gift today. Gifts must be postmarked in 2009 to be posted as 2009 gifts for tax purposes. Mail to: 1 Saddleback Parkway, Lake Forest, CA 92630. 3. Drop your gift in the box at the front door of the Ministry Center at 1 Saddleback Parkway so you know for certain we get it TODAY or Thursday….
I love you so much. It is a deep privilege to be your pastor….
And, perhaps, a pain to be his accountant.
I’ve never understood these mega-churches. I’ve felt more faith and love for God on FR, so many wonderful people, and it doesn’t cost me a dime.
I’m a monthly for the news and info. The rest is icing on the cake. :)
No problem... just to point out that God is a God of the second chance, in incidents that don’t need any speculation because they’re spelled out in the bible or in personal witness today. I hope Warren gets his head on straight (not thtraight).
Write a check yourself, Rick. You’re rich enough. And make up the difference by cutting back on your grocery budget, which is clearly very substantial.
No mushy Christians in places like Greece, Italy, the Balkans and other areas who were murdered and enslaved by Muslims hundreds of years ago. The LIBERAL US Catholic church needs to learn that with importing Somalis and 50+% of Catholics voting for a muslim. Many Catholics fought and died to keep Europe Christian.
Warren is slime. I hope his church collapses. He is a fraud.
Yeah, Crist is another one who could vanish tomorrow and I wouldn’t miss him.
Where did you hear that? I thought I was the only one who had contemplated that. There is nothing new under the sun I guess.
I would be more than happy to send Mr. Warren the “not one penny” that Obama promised to not increase on my tax obligations.
Oh go ahead and spend some of that hope and change that Obama gave you, Warren.
I would be more than happy to send Mr. Warren the “not one penny” that Obama promised to not increase on my tax obligations.
Oh go ahead and spend some of that hope and change that Obama gave you, Warren.
It’s so easy for a megachurch to get into “worship of the numbers.” Early Christianity was composed of scads of little private congregations; they would have laughed at our modern megachurches and cathedrals.
I’d suffocate in a social-gospel-only church.
++++++++++++++++++
They are not that. If anything they’re one of the ‘seeker friendly’ churches - which may, at times, be almost as bad. In the brand of Willow Creek in Ill...and a hyper version of the church growth movement. Not all of this sort of thing is bad - just too much focus on it, and not enough on truth...
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus never sacrificed one, for the other...
I agree. It makes me think of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker to know they keep the finances private.
I originally heard it from a Methodist preacher I knew.
Well someone has to take Oral Roberts place now.
But when the young man heard that, he went away sorrowing...
That is so right on.
Hope & Change biting this phony preacher in his arse. Your boy Hussein one Rick and maybe your congregation needs some help cause they are unemployed. He is a phony bastard.
If the church does not release their financials then they are a scam.
Amen. A lot of good pastors and priests with small flocks who really get it. They worry about how to keep their churches open.
Warren is a showman and cary barker clown.
He certainly is. With all the money he makes from all the books, videos, etc he sells, I can’t believe he doesn’t have the money to donate to his own church. :~(
Many of the bigger ministries that I know personally have signed pledges to be completely transparent about their finances. Why is he hiding?
IF he just cuts out his KFC late night runs, should pay for the deficit handily
Never even bought his book. Forget speaking at Obama’s inauguration. That doesn’t bother me. His definition of Christianity? That does bother me.
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