{"id":16279,"date":"2013-03-06T10:07:18","date_gmt":"2013-03-06T15:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=16279"},"modified":"2016-01-06T09:05:41","modified_gmt":"2016-01-06T14:05:41","slug":"emu-development-director-provides-financial-care-for-local-church-congregation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/emu-development-director-provides-financial-care-for-local-church-congregation\/","title":{"rendered":"EMU Development Director Provides Financial Care for Local Church Congregation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recent family news took Phil<\/a> and Loretta Helmuth<\/a> into the future and the past at the same time.<\/p>\n

Three more grandchildren are due to arrive in March, which led Phil and Loretta to talk about striking a new balance between work and family \u2013 and its financial implications.<\/p>\n

Thinking about money and its role in life is nothing new for Phil, who was asked to serve in a newly created position of elder of financial care at his church in Harrisonburg, Va., because of his experience in financial matters and his willingness to share what he\u2019s learned.<\/p>\n

The Helmuths\u2019 daughter, Laura, called in September to say she and her husband, Asa, parents of a 2-year-old girl, are expecting twins. Less than a week later, daughter Annette and her husband, Trey, parents of three children younger than 7, dropped in to say they\u2019re expecting a baby.<\/p>\n

News of the upcoming births<\/strong> reminded Phil and Loretta of the first major challenge they faced together, newly married and still in college. Loretta found out she was pregnant, two years earlier than they\u2019d planned. They worked things out, with Phil waiting to finish college until mid-career, taking one class at a time.<\/p>\n

Nearly 40 years later, Phil and Loretta enjoy life as nearly-60-year-old grandparents. An empty nest has offered time to bicycle, provide support for their parents and enjoy their four grandchildren when they\u2019re not at Eastern Mennonite University, where Phil is executive director of development <\/a>and director of church relations<\/a> and Loretta works as secretary\/receptionist at the physical plant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if Laura needs to be on bed rest again during this pregnancy?\u201d they wonder. \u201cWhat if Annette\u2019s family needs additional help in March? What can we offer them?\u201d<\/p>\n

The process Phil is using to figure out what their decisions will mean financially is one he\u2019s become familiar with in recent years. The economic recession that started in late 2007 led Park View Mennonite Church (PVMC)<\/a> to create the elder role in which Phil agreed to serve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number of families and individuals among us facing financial crises is increasing<\/strong>,\u201d he remembers a member of the pastoral staff telling him. \u201cWe\u2019d like to appoint an elder well versed in financial matters to assist in discernment and ongoing support in these situations.\u201d Phil says he knew the question before it was asked. \u201cWould you consider this ministry?\u201d<\/p>\n

The answer was \u201cyes.\u201d Phil is passionate about the ways in which spirituality and finances intermingle.<\/p>\n

As the economy got worse, Phil became more aware of the need for financial mentoring as he listened to donors\u2019 financial concerns in his role as a fundraiser. Many wondered whether they ever will be able to retire after their savings were depleted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI decided I needed to answer some financial questions for our own situation,\u201d Phil explains. \u201cI wanted to know what adjustments Loretta and I needed to make in our family budget to provide flexibility for unexpected life events.\u201d<\/p>\n

He decided to develop a spreadsheet. \u201cI wanted to see the numbers,\u201d he recalls. He looked at his income and projected to see what the numbers would look like when he and Loretta are 65. \u201cI then did the same with savings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phil then came up with a retirement budget to satisfy the question of whether he and Loretta could live off the amounts on the spreadsheet. Phil\u2019s spreadsheet experience was an eye-opener, a new way of looking at life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn working with the spreadsheet,\u201d Phil said, \u201cI learned exactly what our current financial situation is, and I could estimate how much we\u2019d needed if we wanted to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n

As elder of financial care, Phil invites people who seek his help to share their financial situations.<\/strong> For many people, the invitation demands something extremely difficult \u2014 laying bare the financial burdens they carry. Chris and Beth*, a couple in their early 30s who are active members of PVMC, had been married for 10 years when they realized they were headed for a financial crisis they couldn\u2019t handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst thing was the secrecy,\u201d Beth says now. \u201cMoney had such power over us, and our lives were filled with so much shame and disappointment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several unexpected events in their lives were compounded by a few decisions that turned sour. Beth and Chris fell into a pattern of trying to hide their financial problems from everyone, even from each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d quit talking about finances,\u201d Chris says. \u201cIt just wasn\u2019t worth the fights, the blame and shame those conversations inevitably elicited.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time they agreed to meet with Phil, they realized they needed someone to help them talk through finances in the same way some couples need a marriage counselor.<\/p>\n

Phil is clear about his role<\/strong> \u2013 he explores with people their individual situations and identifies resources so they can make healthy decisions. He relies on using the spreadsheet, simple and clear. Another tool he\u2019s used is counseling provided by LSS Financial Counseling Services<\/a> through Everence.<\/p>\n

For Beth and Chris, the confidential, anonymous LSS counseling via telephone \u2013 along with Phil\u2019s help \u2013 changed their lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d kept hoping for something miraculous, a couple thousand dollars,\u201d Chris smiles. \u201cBut I realize now winning the lottery wouldn\u2019t have made a difference in our lives. We needed something deeper than a miracle.\u201d Phil offered them suggestions for planning ahead and for budgeting, then ways to convert these concepts into day-to-day practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made himself available to us in a non-judgmental and caring way, which made it possible for us to communicate with each other,\u201d Beth said. \u201cHe offered hope and affirmation where there was none.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWorking with both LSS and Phil has been a bit like having cheerleaders,\u201d Chris said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been supportive, sending us notes, offering prayers on our behalf and checking in to see how we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beth smiles as she sets aside the past to focus on the present.<\/p>\n

\u201cLiving with accountability hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d she said, \u201cbut we\u2019ve made so much progress.\u201d They\u2019re now in the process of closing on their first house, their debt-to-income ratio looks good and their credit rating is solid. As Phil reflected on the couple\u2019s progress, he said, \u201cThe thing I love most about my role is the opportunity to provide a voice of hope in the midst of despair.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the miracle.<\/p>\n

Article is courtesy of Everence<\/a>. Gloria Diener of Harrisonburg attends Park View Mennonite Church, where she serves on the elder team with Phil Helmuth.<\/em><\/p>\n

*Not their real names<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recent family news took Phil and Loretta Helmuth into the future and the past at the same time. Three more grandchildren are due to arrive in March, which led Phil ... read more about EMU Development Director Provides Financial Care for Local Church Congregation<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":16323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,5583,5642],"tags":[13923,5944,17361,10194],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-16279","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-campus-community","category-faculty-and-staff","tag-everence","tag-giving","tag-mennonite-churches-and-schools","tag-phil-helmuth"],"yoast_head":"\nEMU Development Director Provides Financial Care for Local Church Congregation - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2013\/emu-development-director-provides-financial-care-for-local-church-congregation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EMU Development Director Provides Financial Care for Local Church Congregation - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Recent family news took Phil and Loretta Helmuth into the future and the past at the same time. 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