Gasoline, the shrinking middle class and church

While the preznit dreams on that the US economy is doing well and growing 'despite challenges,' fact is, things are getting tough. In Mississippi, people spend up to 16% of their income on gasoline. In Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, a place of little job opportunity and much poverty, it's about 7%. The rest of the state, the percentage of household income hovers around 6-8%.

Bernie Sanders, our Independent senator (quite unlike the other indie from CT, Joe Lieberman), asked people for their thoughts on how the current economy is affecting their lives. His office published a 19-page PDF booklet of responses, The Collapse of the Middle Class, from people across the country after asking them what is happening to them with the increase of prices all around. His office expected a low number of comments from Vermonters; instead, it received over 700 from all over.

One comment in particular stood out for me:

“I don't go to church many Sundays, because the gasoline is too expensive to drive there.”

Someone has already told me that. She lives 20 miles away and though she drives a Honda Civic, is worried about what the gas will cost. She's a retired teacher so doesn't have an inexhaustible source of income. Another family, drives 50 miles one way to come to church. I wonder if they will realise this drive on Sundays is too much of a luxury.

What impact will that have on an already shrinking congregation? Already I am wondering how in God's name we are going to be able to heat the church, parish house and rectory and if this year will be the year that heating fuel will impact my compensation. This sounds totally selfish, of course, I know. But I am being honest. How do we rethink heating all these spaces, a different way of being church? How do I qua leader not give into anxiety and scarcity thinking but also be realistic?