MILWAUKEEûBudget cuts to Rod McLean’s church youth group jeopardized a summer mission trip to Washington state. As he wondered how he could help them meet their $13,000 budget, he remembered the upcoming federal tax rebate.
He decided to donate his stimulus check – and persuade others at Lake Edge United Church of Christ in Madison, Wis., to do the same. "I thought, ‘What a natural,’" said McLean, a 67-year-old retiree. "If a lot of people can give 10, 15, 20 percent of that, it’s not like digging into their normal budgets." He told church leaders of his idea and the "Share the Windfall Fund" was born.
This weekend members of the church will present their checks at a potluck and help decide which missions, including soup kitchens and homeless shelters, they’ll support. The church of about 900 members in Wisconsin’s capital city isn’t alone.
From United Church of Christ members, to Lutherans and Quakers, religious groups are asking people to donate at least part of their checks to their groups or other charities. The federal government hopes to stimulate the economy with the $110 billion it’s returning to taxpayers this spring and summer.
But many see the extra money as an opportunity for charity. "It’s an unbelievable amount of cash that people of faith or people of conscience could choose to say, ‘You know, we could get along without this. We could put this money to use,’" said Ken Sehested, co-pastor at the Circle of Mercy church in Asheville, N.C. His congregation of about 50 adults, which is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and Alliance of Baptists, voted to give at least 10 percent of their checks to charities.
Sehested said many parishioners are still waiting for their rebate, so he’s not sure how much they’ll donate or where it’ll go. He and his wife plan to give their entire $1,200 check to their church’s partner congregation in Cuba.
The "Tax Rebate for Peace" effort by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby group, has received more than 30 such donations so far, averaging $100 each, spokesman Jim Cason said.
The group promotes peace and diplomacy, including boosting spending for the State Department and U.N. Religious groups traditionally receive the most donations in the United States.
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