OC Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren Asks For Urgent Donations

[a1aara]

Dec. 31, 2009

Orange County Megachurch Pastor Asks For Nearly $1 Million In Donations By January 1
LAKE FOREST, Calif. (AP) - Evangelical pastor Rick Warren appealed to parishioners at his Orange County megachurch Wednesday to help fill a $900,000 deficit by the first of the year.

Warren made the appeal in a letter posted on the Saddleback Church Web site. It begins "Dear Saddleback Family, THIS IS AN URGENT LETTER."

"With 10 percent of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated," the letter reads.

Still, Warren said the church managed to stay within its budget, but "the bottom dropped out" when Christmas donations dropped. "On the last weekend of 2009, our total offerings were less than half of what we normally receive - leaving us $900,000 in the red for the year," the letter reads.

"It's basically having to do more with less," church spokesman A. Larry Ross said. "The seasonal Christmas offering was down significantly and, commensurately, the need for services the church is expected to provide is up," Ross said.

Warren's appeal presents an opportunity for those who haven't been hit by the recession to step up and help, Ross said.

The letter details some of the church's accomplishments in 2009 and where the donations would be used, including the church's food pantry, homeless ministry, counseling and support groups. It then lists three ways parishioners can make their donations.

Warren was named the top newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association. He gained attention with his invocation at the inauguration of President Barack Obama and comments in the aftermath of California's Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage. Warren also gained attention for his work in Africa involving AIDS relief and other humanitarian activities.

Warren is the author of numerous books, including the best-selling "The Purpose Driven Life."

He founded Saddleback Church in 1980 in Lake Forest, about 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles.



http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/ ... ontentBody

[a1aara]

Pastor Rick Warren Takes in $2.4M After Donations Plea
Saturday, January 02, 2010


Print ShareThisLAKE FOREST, Calif. — Evangelical pastor Rick Warren's plea for donations to fill a $900,000 deficit at his Southern California megachurch brought in $2.4 million, Warren announced to cheers during a sermon at the church on Saturday.

Warren said the amount raised after the appeal was posted online Wednesday included only money parishioners brought in person to Saddleback Church by New Year's Eve. More was arriving by hand and by mail, he said.

"This is pretty amazing," Warren told his congregation. "I don't think any church has gotten a cash offering like that off a letter."

The pastor said he planned to talk further about the response in a Sunday sermon called "The Miracle."

"We're starting the new decade with a surplus," he said. "It came from thousands of ordinary people. This was not one big fat cat."

The posting on Warren's Web site read: "With 10 percent of our church family out of work due to the recession, our expenses in caring for our community in 2009 rose dramatically while our income stagnated."

Warren said the church had largely managed to stay within its budget during the year, but "the bottom dropped out" when Christmas donations were down.

The letter cited the church's accomplishments in 2009 and detailed how the donations would be used, including the church's food pantry, homeless ministry, counseling and support groups.

Warren is the author of numerous books, including the best-selling "The Purpose Driven Life." He was named the top newsmaker of the year for 2009 by the Religion Newswriters Association, gaining attention with his invocation at the inauguration of President Barack Obama and comments in the aftermath of California's Proposition 8, which overturned gay marriage.

He founded Saddleback Church in 1980 in Lake Forest, about 65 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,581 ... latestnews

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Anyone else find this really unsettling....?

[Bicycle Bill]

Anyone else find this really unsettling....?

In what way? That people would respond to a plea of this nature?
Or are you finding some deeper, darker meaning in all this?

-"BB"-

[phjrsaunt]

I find it unsettling in that California has been forced to pay some employees with "IOU's", yet over 2 MILLION dollars can be raised just for the asking. Unbalanced.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

I find it unsettling in that California has been forced to pay some employees with "IOU's", yet over 2 MILLION dollars can be raised just for the asking. Unbalanced.

Thank you!

[big john]

You got to remember this is California we are talking about. Not the fun and crazy CA I spent
time in the 70's, but the wacko political mess of the 21st century. With apologies ahead of time
to CA residents on this board.

[ph4ever]

Anyone else find this really unsettling....?

Yes - it shows the magnitude of how a TV preacher with bad hair and dimples can prey on their flock. I would be willing to bet that there are quite a few of those donations received from people living on a fixed income. The type of people that quite a number of scam artists prey upon.

Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life sold over 13 million copies. It sold more than Harry Potter and The DeVinci Code combined. In December 2008 it was reported that Rick Warren had a net worth of at least 11 million dollars. Yeah I do have a problem with this.

[East Texas Parrothead]

Anyone else find this really unsettling....?

Yes - it shows the magnitude of how a TV preacher with bad hair and dimples can prey on their flock. I would be willing to bet that there are quite a few of those donations received from people living on a fixed income. The type of people that quite a number of scam artists prey upon.

Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life sold over 13 million copies. It sold more than Harry Potter and The DeVinci Code combined. In December 2008 it was reported that Rick Warren had a net worth of at least 11 million dollars. Yeah I do have a problem with this.

wPH4Es.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

And again, thank you Connie. Did ol Pastor Rick dig into his own pockets for help? Somehow I doubt it. And yes, I think a lot that donated probably could ill afford to do so. But 24 people ponied up $100,000 or more (as reported by local CBS radio stations). Guilt money, perhaps? Dunno....but hope they were as generous with other needy charities as they were to Pastor Rick. I sure hope there is a good accounting of all that is brought in and where it actually goes....

[SchoolGirlHeart]

Someone with a net worth of $11 million shouldn't be begging his congregation for money.....

[Karacal]

Someone with a net worth of $11 million shouldn't be begging his congregation for money.....

I agree!!

[SchoolGirlHeart]

What goes around, comes around. Sooner or later.

[aeroparrot]

Anyone else find this really unsettling....?

Yes - it shows the magnitude of how a TV preacher with bad hair and dimples can prey on their flock. I would be willing to bet that there are quite a few of those donations received from people living on a fixed income. The type of people that quite a number of scam artists prey upon.

Rick Warren's book The Purpose Driven Life sold over 13 million copies. It sold more than Harry Potter and The DeVinci Code combined. In December 2008 it was reported that Rick Warren had a net worth of at least 11 million dollars. Yeah I do have a problem with this.

... and that begs the question, couldn't the pastor have used some of the $11 million net worth to cover the $900,000 shortfall or does that make too much sense?

[STL PARROTHEAD]

Someone with a net worth of $11 million shouldn't be begging his congregation for money.....

yep.

[Lightning Bolt]

I was ready to jump on this one last night, as I am about as vocal an opponent of tele-evangalism as you'd find, but
I looked further into Rick Warren's life and he is actually a pretty good example of what a preacher should be about.
He is considered as moderate a pastor as you'll find, not living the opulent lifestyle that some many others have.
He has demonstrated to be a disciple of "reverse-tithing", one who receives no salary, and gives 90% of his income to the church.

When he hosted a presidential debate last year, I first took real notice of the man.
Sure, he has accumulated wealth from his works, but with a lifestyle and compensation examples that he has lived,
I can't find a good reason to attack him personally for his plea to his congregation.

He's no dummy either, knowing that asking for donations from an affluent congregation such as his at this time of year
can both be a feel-good story for the many his church does help, along with a tax strategy for the wealthiest donors.

I have my own convictions about the church in America today, mostly formed from the negatives brought by abuse of one's faith,
but you have to look closer at the Saddleback Church before heaping that scorn that non-believers like myself would have usually cast.

[alphabits]

Amen LB, I was wondering how many of those commenting here had actually done any research on him or were just piling on because high profile clergymen are easy targets.

I found a couple of interesting tidbits .....

"As the money has rolled in from his book, Warren stopped taking his $110,000 annual salary and repaid the church for his 25 years of salary since its founding. He and his wife became "reverse tithers," he said, keeping 10 percent of their income and giving away the rest, including $13 million in 2004."

and .....

"Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., became a reverse tither after the success of his Purpose Driven Life books. He detailed the motive for his decision in a 2006 interview with Beliefnet. He said he told God, “OK, God, I don’t need this money.… What are you doing with this? I don’t need this. I’m a pastor.”

Warren said he and wife, Kay, looked to Scripture for answers. Like Osteen, Warren decided not to take a salary from the church. But he didn’t stop there. He added up all the money the church had paid him over the past 25 years and gave it all back. So the 10 percent the Warrens now live on is 10 percent of the income Warren earns from book royalties and additional ventures.

The Warrens have vowed never to change their lifestyle. They have lived in the same house for 16 years. Warren drives the same Ford truck he had before the book came out. And he owns the same two suits."

[alphabits]

And how is Pastor Warren's plea any different than what every other minister, priest or rabbi does every week?
Or every charity under the sun, which to believe the "urgent" pleas I get just about every day will cease to function if I don't send them at least X amount of dollars now (wonder how much their execs make?).

[aeroparrot]

The problem is cynicism. I can't remember who (I think it was Oral Roberts when he was alive) who said that if people didn't donate x amount of dollars by a certain time, God will strike him dead? Or we see the Bakers? That's why a lot of people think it's flaky when a televangalist calls for money. But that's my two cents.

[Brown Eyed Girl]

I was ready to jump on this one last night, as I am about as vocal an opponent of tele-evangalism as you'd find, but
I looked further into Rick Warren's life and he is actually a pretty good example of what a preacher should be about.
He is considered as moderate a pastor as you'll find, not living the opulent lifestyle that some many others have.
He has demonstrated to be a disciple of "reverse-tithing", one who receives no salary, and gives 90% of his income to the church.

When he hosted a presidential debate last year, I first took real notice of the man.
Sure, he has accumulated wealth from his works, but with a lifestyle and compensation examples that he has lived,
I can't find a good reason to attack him personally for his plea to his congregation.

He's no dummy either, knowing that asking for donations from an affluent congregation such as his at this time of year
can both be a feel-good story for the many his church does help, along with a tax strategy for the wealthiest donors.

I have my own convictions about the church in America today, mostly formed from the negatives brought by abuse of one's faith,
but you have to look closer at the Saddleback Church before heaping that scorn that non-believers like myself would have usually cast.

Good points...but why did this affluent congregation suddenly stop donating...then all of the sudden were able to come up with the money just like that when his call went out? It just smells of a publicity stunt to me. Effective? Definitely. Ethical? Depends on your point of view, I guess. But if that CBS report is true, I'd say your tax stategy statement may be what this is all about.

My opinion...yours may differ. So be it.