Magyar Egyház, 1979 (58. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

1979-05-01 / 5-6. szám

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

11

‘"We have no fund drives or bazaars/’ he says. "We rely on the sacrificial giving of our people. There are times when there’s a hit of leanness, hut we’ve always pulled through. Our people believe not only in tithing, hut also in giving beyond that. The 10 percent would be minimal to many of them. Many give 20 percent and more.”

Church bazaars and bingo are traditional fundraisers for Catholics.

“Bingo is not our biggest fund raiser,” says Catholic information director for Summit County. “I would say the average church takes in from S300 to $500 a week witli bingo. Obviously, our largest and most stable source of income is the Sunday collection.” As with other denominations, some 10 to 30 percent of a Catholic parish’s Sunday collection goes to headquarters for support of church functions and causes world-wide.

Money is critical in some churches and it’s at least a struggle in most churches. Most church income has increased in dollars, hut it hasn’t kept pace with inflation. It’s not that people aren’t committed, but when inflation hits them, church isn’t high on their priority list. Many are building or buying homes as inflation hedges and mortgage money eats into their available cash for church support.

FISH: HELP FOR THOSE IN NEED

For the elderly Akron woman who needed a ride to her doctor’s office in Cuyahoga Falls but had no way to go, help was just a four-letter word away.

FISH, through its 2-1-hour telephone answering sendee, put a volunteer in touch with the woman and got her tliat ride to the doctor's office.

"Thank God, you could conic,” the elderly woman said, as Eileen’s steel-gray car pulled away from Safferstein Towers.

“My family couldn’t take me to the doctors. SCAT won’t go outside the city and Ked Cross wants two weeks’ notice. My bursitis, it hurts so had.”

Akron FISH, Í6 a group of Christian-oriented people, ecumenical in composition, willing to help others in need. Its roots date back to 1961 when a group in Old Headington, England began a special help program for their neighbors in need.

FISH volunteers, who prefer anonymity, use only first names when they go on service calls. Likewise, FISH docs not reveal the names of its clients.

"Our goal... is to put God’s love in action,” Eileen said.

Eileen, head of Akron FISH’s steering committee, said the group’s symbol, the fish was the ancient symbol of Christianity in its early years.

Eileen said fellow Christians, who had to worship in secret, made their identities known to one another by drawing part of the fish sign in the sand. Another Christian, recognizing the symbol, would complete the other half to indicate his faith.

While there are hundreds of FISH organizations throughout the country, they are independent of one another.

For the past 10 years, the 80 volunteers of Akron FISH have been providing temporary and supplemental services to others in need — and never for a charge.

The organization, with an annual budget of $1,000 gets support from churches throughout the greater Akron area. Since the beginning of this year, Akron FISH has answered more than 2,000 calls for help, Eileen said.

Site said the reason FISH is able to operate on such a small budget is that its volunteers frequently use their own monies to help others.

Transportation, Eileen said, accounts for about 90 percent of FISH’s service calls.

“One man, who just recently retired from FISH, told us he w'ould have to go as soon as gas went up to 75 cents a gallon or he reached 75,” Eileen recalled. “They both arrived at the same time.”

Among the services FISH provides, are reading to the blind, transporting shut-ins, praying for the sick, providing meals, babysitting, helping out with housework (in emergencies I and providing companionship to the elderly.

According to Eileen, FISH volunteers, who range in age from teenagers to retirees, are asked to be available or on call for one day a month to answer the emergency needs of other human beings.

“The great thing about being a FISH volunteer is that you soon find out that your problems are trivial compared to those of others,” Eileen said.

FISH, however, is having trouble finding new volunteers and is seeking the support of area churches in this effort.

“FISH fulfills two needs: It provides the connection for those who need the service and those who need to serve,” she said.

Akron FISH will commemorate 10 years of service on May 15 with a covered-dish dinner at 6:30 p.in. at Lion’s Park. All past and present members are encouraged to attend. Others interested in the group are asked to call 376-FISH for more information.