Financial Hope

by Bob Setzer, Jr.
Since the first of the year, I’ve noticed a new breed of ads popping up on the internet and on television. The thrust of these ads is to suggest the current recession has an upside: it is teaching Americans the value of thrift. An easy-money economy got us into this mess, but it will take a return to frugality and fiscal discipline to get us out.

One of these ads features an Allstate Insurance spokesman who says our nation has weathered 12 recessions since the Great Depression. In each case, according to the pitchman, "After the fears subside, a funny thing happens: people start enjoying the small things in life: a home-cooked meal, time with loved ones... It’s back to basics and the basics are good."

I recognize this is slick marketing. It even has a name, "recession marketing." But I hope and believe the basic message in this ad is true.

Yes, many people are suffering. A lot. Jobs--even low-paying jobs--are nowhere to be found. Many parents are having to cut out the "extras" and the kids don’t understand. Tiptoeing one’s way through a minefield of financial uncertainty and stress takes a toll on families.

But with such challenges also come new opportunities, indeed, a pressing need to reclaim lost values. Suddenly, Grandma’s mantra about not buying on credit is no longer a castaway truth from a bygone age. Now such practice is a critically needed survival skill!

In the family census of our church, completed last summer, the respondents’ number one identified need was help with managing money. Thankfully, our Stewardship Committee has explored and is now ready to offer a proven seminar to address that need: Dave Ramsey’s "Financial Peace University" (see related Highlites article: "Ramsey Preview: January 17th"). This is a 13-session course in getting one’s financial house in order. In a nutshell, the course teaches one how to live within one’s means, get out of debt, save for the future, and give to worthy causes.

As those who have watched Dave Ramsey on television or heard him on radio can attest, Ramsey is opinionated, assertive, and directive. And like most people who talk for a living (present company included!), he says stuff some folks find annoying. But Ramsey has developed a proven program for helping ordinary people get out of debt and on the road to financial security. During the 13-week seminar, the average household pays off $5,300 in debt and saves $2,700.

There is hope for families in financial crisis. That hope is found first in God’s faithfulness, God’s Word, and God’s people. That hope is also found in developing the life skills to negotiate a better future. At the First Baptist Church of Christ, we aim to offer both support and skills because both are needed.