BY BETTY JESPERSEN

Staff writer

Chris McEwan and her husband still have their jobs, but with the bad economic news and worries about the future, they've gotten rid of their credit-card debt, dropped their cable TV, are considering cheaper cell phones and don't spend money on extras.

One thing the Winthrop couple is not cutting back on is contributing to their house of worship, the New Hope Baptist Church in Manchester.

"We are definitely cutting back but tithing is something I would not cut unless we absolutely have to. We are learning to be more mindful of where our money goes so we can give more. The more we get out of debt, the more we can give," she said.

The McEwans are fairly typical in their commitment to support their religious base during troubled times.

"Anecdotally, I have heard that a number of churches in Maine have had surprising success in their stewardship drives in the fall and early winter," said Eric Smith, the associate director of the Maine Council of Churches.

"Certainly, churches are struggling to meet their goals, but it appears church is not where people want to cut back on their giving," he said.

Parishioners facing a grim employment picture and diminished savings as the economy declines may be unable to make their usual pledges up front for the coming year. But they often will continue to give as much as they can, Smith has been told by church members of the council.

At the same time, those who are still working and can continue to give are digging deeper into their pockets to offset the drop in donations, he said.

The Rev. Philip Tracy, administrator of a dozen Catholic churches in Corpus Christi and Christ the King Parishes in the Waterville and Skowhegan areas, said weekly collections are down but not dramatically.

"Our parishioners are seeing the value of their faith and are grateful for what they have. If they are not able to give something in an envelope, they are calling to see if there is some way they can volunteer," Tracy said.

"In that way, it is building community," he said.

Taking a hit

Nationwide, Americans affected by the economic turbulence are passing on their financial pain to churches and other nonprofit organizations by cutting back substantially on their giving, according a research firm that studies Americans' religious habits and behavior.

"The giving patterns we're witnessing suggest that churches, alone, will receive some $3 billion to $5 billion less than expected during the (2008) fourth quarter," according to a survey of 1,203 adults from across the country conducted by The Barna Group Ltd..

"The average church can expect to see its revenue dip about four to six percent lower than would have been expected without the economic turmoil. We anticipate that other nonprofit organizations will be hit even harder," according to the report found at www.barna.org.

The study found that one out of five households had decreased its giving to churches or other religious centers and among that group, 22 percent had stopped giving altogether.

During the church building boom that was going strong as late as 2007, some churches took on heavy debt and counted on continued contributions from their growing congregations. According to a story that appeared in the Wall Street Journal last month, some are now falling behind on their loans or defaulting on their debt as their members lose their jobs and struggle to fend off foreclosures.

Some churches, such as the 125-year-old Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., along with at least one company that specialized in church lending, have filed for bankruptcy, according to the article.

Most of the nation's 335,000 churches carry little or no mortgage debt and are based in buildings paid off long ago. That is the case in Maine, said Smith.

"I have not heard of any of our members that are caught in that credit crunch," Smith said.

"Budgets have been close-to-the-bone for years because of declining membership and declining giving. This will be a very difficult time for churches without a lot of margin," he said.

"Most churches in Maine are not on an expansion track. They are very much working on maintaining what they have or appropriately downsizing," he said. "They may be cutting back on secretarial time or reducing pastoral hours, but the problems are not quite as catastrophic as may be occurring in other areas of the country."

Maintaining services

The Rev. Glen Peterson of the New Hope Baptist Church on U.S. Route 202 in Manchester said his parishioners are worried about the security of their jobs; their businesses have slowed, and they are stressed about the future.

So far, however, weekly contributions have not dropped off. The church has no endowments and has not relied on income from investments to help pay the bills.

"We run week to week," he said.

Last year, the congregation built a new church with an estimated $615,000 price tag paid for through donations and a loan from Kennebec Savings Bank, which Peterson said is being paid on schedule. The church has members from all over Kennebec County, including Belgrade, Farmingdale, Hallowell, West Gardiner, Gardiner and Winthrop.

The Rev. Louis Phillips, pastor of St. Michael's Parish in Augusta and administrator of Catholic churches in the Winthrop and Gardiner area, has also not seen a drop in collections but he is seeing an increase in requests for assistance with heating fuel and food.

"The economy is at the very top of people's minds and I touch on it in almost all of my homilies," he said. "Our collections are remaining steady but I am not hearing that from many of my fellow Catholic pastors."

"Our parishioners, even in tough economic times, have not cut back on their contributions. Maybe those who can give are making up the difference but our bottom line is the same," he said.

"It was a tight budget before from the last round of economic woes and this makes it even more difficult," he said.

One concern he has is the pressure on parents sending their children to St. Michael's Parish School in Augusta.

"Parents are sacrificing to pay tuition and we have a commitment to those kids. We have money set aside for financial aid and we never turn away a child because a parent may have lost a job," he said.

In Farmington, the Rev. Susan Crane of the Henderson Memorial Baptist Church said the church has had to cut its budget by 16 percent, including reducing her hours from 40 to 32 a week.

"We have a commitment to serve the community and right now; the need for assistance is astronomical. People have only charities to depend on," she said.

Tracy, of Corpus Christi Parish, said his churches are experiencing a loss of income and budgets are being closely monitored. So far, no one has been laid off; no buildings have been closed or services curtailed. "We are not making our budget and our weekly collections are less but we are doing what we can to keep things as normal as possible. We are experiencing the challenge of being creative and we don't' want to see anything dropped," he said.

"The philosophy I am operating on is that people are struggling enough and they come to church to find hope and comfort. We are trying to keep that as normal as possible so it doesn't add to the stress and anxiety," he said.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com