5 months ago
Hyde Park, Florida -- After months of hearing sad stories from struggling parishioners, Pastor Jim Harnish of Hyde Park United Methodist Church decided it was time to teach people how to use their faith to deal with their finances.
Today was the first of a three part series called "How to Thrive: A New Look at Faith and Finances."
"Our hope would be [that] people of faith [would] have a different set of resources with which to deal with this," said Pastor Harnish.
Harnish knows money is on many minds. He started this morning's service with the question, "So, how is your 401K doing today?"
The congregation answered with laughter, happy to hear a topic they know all too well.
Parishioner Brian Wade said, "I love it when the pastor talks about money!"
Rosemary Anderson agreed when she said, "I think it is very encouraging to come to church and hear about a topic that is hitting us every single day."
Based on the Bible, the pastor preached this point, "We should gain all we can but not pay too high a price for it."
That message hit home for folks like the Wade family. "It is tough to gain as much as you can but also not pay too heavy a price for it. For me, I tend to prioritize work first and health last," said Marcela Wade, a mom of three-year-old Christian.
"You've got to balance these worries that we're faced with, with your faith and your family."
The next two Sundays will have sermons that give more in-depth advice.
For service times, click here.
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