Sage advice for tough economic times

Ditch debt, live simply, give 10 per cent away, says stewardship guru

BY VIRGINIA BATTISTE
Special to the WCR

Calgary – Even in tough economic times, Christians cannot only give more, they can find lasting happiness.

Dan Potvin, director of stewardship for the Winnipeg Archdiocese, came to Calgary Nov. 28 to say that the secret of happiness is not found in getting more, but in wanting less and living more simply.

Pursuing more and more leads to debt, as the statistics on earning and spending show. Viewing money and things as being held in trust, and having the responsibility to manage them on God’s behalf, gives a different perspective, Potvin told a workshop on Faith Based Money Management sponsored by the stewardship office of the Calgary Diocese.

It depends on what prize a person is reaching for, Potvin concludes. Riches can’t be taken with you when you die, possessions will disintegrate, fame will fade and power will fail.

The one prize

But for a Christian there is only one prize worth reaching for, and that is heaven, which lasts forever. Putting God first and planning around faith-based principles means heaven is the goal, not things that rust or that moths can ruin.

“Society tells us our identity is based on what we have, not on who we are." Dan Potvin stewardship director

Potvin said to always remember that God owns everything and that Christians can succeed when they see themselves as managing what God has provided.

Charitable giving, whether to the Church or other charitable organizations, is to be paid first, not from what is left over, he said.

A faith-based approach to money management is necessary in our current culture, he said. Even in today’s tight economy the principle of recognizing that God owns it all, and, as Christians, we are only stewards of what we have, makes good sense.

Potvin said believers should establish a basic percentage for charitable giving, and begin to give on a regular basis, off the top. He likened it to the “first fruits” talked about in the Bible, where the Israelites were commanded by God to give the best of their crops, flocks and herds, to him first, not what was left over.

Potvin acknowledges that letting go of the need to possess things is extremely difficult in our society.

“Society tells us our identity is based on what we have, not on who we are. Our feeling of being in control is found in our bank account, or our job, or our big house. If we lose those, we don’t know who we are.”

Affluenza

He adds that as a society, people are not sharing as much as they could. But, more than the issue of sharing is the question of how the endless pursuit of stuff is affecting our lives. As a society, there is an affliction called “affluenza.”

Potvin describes it as a social disease caused by consumerism, commercialism and rampant materialism.

Citing statistics, he says for every dollar earned, most Canadians spend $1.32, or one third more than they actually earn.

In Calgary for the year of his data, the average annual income was just over $97,000, while the average per household charitable donation for Calgarians was $338 per year, he noted.

He points out that 10 per cent of those who give contribute 80 per cent of all donations. So, while some people are very generous, others are not. He adds that the more generous a person is, the more they look like God.

10-10-80

As with all financial planners, Potvin recommends drawing up a financial plan, and working the plan, to control the flow of money, instead of having the money control you. He provided basic worksheets to develop a plan to bring spending into line with income and to factor in giving.

He suggests a 10-10-80 program, which means giving 10 per cent, saving 10 per cent and living on the remaining 80 per cent. To put giving first ultimately requires a new way of seeing things, and a major shift to trusting God in all things, even money.

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