 November/December 1999 (XXXVII 5) |
Editor's Note: The following exchange was delayed, with regret, due to an overabundance of material for the September issue.
hom Jeavons presents his case for additional giving by Friends in the article "When is Enough, Enough?" (May/Summer 1999 PYM News). In so doing he implies that many Friends have fallen into the trap of consumerism.
However, as I look around our Meeting I see: Several who teach in Friends school for half public-school pay. Several who live on a modest trust fund or early retirement pensions so they can give more time to their Friendly concerns. No one who is scrambling up the ladder for a top-salary job. And no one who would not agree, "I have enough."
Does the judgmental tone of the article encourage Friends to "give to" or "give up on" Philadelphia Yearly Meeting?
Exhortations by the General Secretary to give PYM more money have become routine and increasingly critical of individual Friends' financial decisions. However, each of us must struggle with the mountain of needs in the world that demand our attention and our money. At last count there were 69 worthwhile organizations that solicit our family for money. Most of these are helping the truly needy and not richly endowed organizations such as Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
"When is Enough, Enough?" is a question that must be asked of our Yearly Meeting. PYM is the richest Quaker organization in the country and perhaps in the world. Why does it always need more money? Thom correctly points out that when we think about whether we have enough money our perception is more important than our bank account. I believe this to be true of the Yearly Meeting. Many Friends are unable to shake the perception that PYM needs more and more. But some of us believe our Yearly Meeting should reduce its budget to help more of the desperately needy in this world.
Irving Hollingshead
Unami Meeting (PA)General secretary's response
As the author of the piece, "When is Enough, Enough," I certainly regret that Irv Hollingshead has taken offense at it, and regret even more that he seems to have misunderstood it.
Given his response, I want to note the following about the original essay:
The piece is a reflection on a biblical text, reflecting on our perceptions of what constitutes "abundance." There is not one word in it asking for money for PYM! Neither is there any suggestion PYM is financially impoverished!
In asking us to examine our relationship to the surrounding consumer culture, I offer some observations which are grounded in established research about giving patterns. Most Americans give a relatively small amount of their annual income (less than 2%) to charity; and most give only out of what they perceive as "excess" income. Traveling widely among Friends, and seeing considerable information about our giving, I see little evidence to suggest we are substantially different. Yes, many of us live somewhat more simply than others; but most of us — including myself and my family — are very significantly influenced by the surrounding culture of consumerism and materialism.
As general secretary I do indeed "exhort" Friends to support the Yearly Meeting. (It is part of my job.) But the only comment in this piece about the relationship between giving and faith — which again is substantiated by much research — is the observation that those who have a more active faith commitment also tend to be more generous charitable givers.
Finally, what I find most disturbing in Irv's letter is the implication that PYM asks for money to put it in the bank. Let us set the record straight! PYM does indeed have a substantial endowment, and the vast majority of the proceeds from that go to educate young people, support the aging, and provide grants for good works in the world. PYM's operating budget, which must be supported by current giving, supports religious education and other work with our young people, work for peace and social justice, and support for different needs of our Meetings. If we believe we should not do that work, then we should indeed (in his words) "give up on" the Yearly Meeting. But if we believe that work is important, then we should give generously to support it.
Thomas H. Jeavons
Swarthmore Meeting (PA)
PYM general secretary
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM