a cHuRcH WORtH MIllIOnS

M EASURInG IMPACT In d OLLARS RESULTS In A STAGGERInG vALUATIOn

How much is your church worth to the community?

It seems almost impossible to put a value on everything, but economists try. For instance, ever wonder about those numbers they throw around every time we’re asked to consider a bond election to build a new sports arena? They claim that the number of jobs added, concessions sold, hotel and rental cars arranged, advertising booked, merchandise purchased, and restaurants frequented all add up to some enormous number — much more than the zero that would be the case if we didn’t do it at all. Then subtract the amount it costs us in tax abatements to bribe a billionaire to build it in our town — from which he gets all the profit — and there’s your number.

Well, a University of Pennsylvania professor and a secular research firm have now figured a way to measure the economic impact of religious communities on their wider communities. They devised 54 categories to measure the value of what they call the “halo effect” of churches, synagogues and the like.

What’s the worth of one marriage saved? One suicide averted? One addiction conquered? One teenager taught right from wrong? Interesting. But they took it even further: They added up the money generated by weddings and funerals, festivals, counseling programs, preschools and elder care. They tallied salaries of staff, and the wages of roofers, plumbers and even snow shovelers. They put dollar signs on intangibles, such as helping people find work and teaching children to be socially responsible. They even measured the diameter of trees on church campuses.

After analyzing 12 churches in the Philadelphia area, the results are in: The economic benefit exceeds $50 million dollars. The numbers, culled from clergy and staff interviews, “just blew us away,” says Robert Jaeger, executive dire ctor of the research group Partners for Sacred Places.

They don’t blow me away. I expected a number far beyond what most people would think.

A skeptic about the church and its doctrine once approached a pastor colleague of mine.

The man asked if the pastor really could imagine hell. My friend answered, “Sure, all I do is think of our own city and take out every church, every synagogue, every hospital that cares for the indigent, and every community benevolence institution that tries to help the homeless and the hopeless. That would be hell.”

I don’t know how you put a value on avoiding hell, but the exercise in assigning value to the presence of a religious organization in a community revealed to researchers something they didn’t anticipate. They found that churches did far more than simply conduct worship services and other religious rites. They hosted dance classes, senior citizens programs, childcare centers, youth sports activities, self-defense classes, grief and addiction recovery programs, small non-profit businesses, computer classes for the elderly, job search classes for the unemployed and job training for the underemployed.

The array of services offered by churches is a reality of social good that hides in plain sight.

One pastor, whose church was part of the study, put it this way: “Our mission is not just to get people into heaven,” he said, “but help them maneuver through the trials and troubles of life.”

The church is an easy target for critics, since it is composed of only sinners who are more or less aware of our need for God’s grace to become more than we are now. It’s also true that the church sometimes forgets its mission for God to the world and turns out to be just another social club or tax-exempt business that fails to give back as much as it receives. Hypocrisy tarnishes whatever halo effect social scientists may calculate.

But when you consider the positive impact of religious congregations in the lessening of misery and the elevating of human dignity, there’s reason to give thanks for good neighbors as you drive by buildings with steeples that point your eyes upward.

Community

AN OVARIAN CANCER SUPPORT GROUP meets 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mondays in the Virginia R. Cvetko Patient Education Center on the basement level of the Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, 3535 Worth. For details, call 214.820.2608.

THE GREATER LAKEWOOD REPUBLICANWOMEN’S GROUP holds its monthly meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 28 at Commonwealth Title Company, 6465 E. Mockingbird Suite 450. For information, call Kelly Nolan at 214.728.7301.

Education

STONEWALL JACKSONELEMENTARYPTA hosts the Urban Cowboy 2011 Auction 7 p.m.-midnight April 16 at Eddie Deen’s Ranch, 944 S. Lamar. The school’s biggest fundraiser of the year helps fund computer technology, classroom supplies, music program enhancements and resources for the outdoor science lab and Stonewall Garden. To find out how to donate items or services to the auction, contact Kate Simpson at katesimpson@sbcglobal. net.

LIPSCOMBELEMENTARY HOSTS ITS KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 4 in the school cafeteria, 5801 Worth. For information, call Pauline Mayfield at 214.827.5859 or email pmayfield@sbcglobal.net.

People

AUSTIN KRISADABOONYACHAI, an East Dallas resident and student at the Episcopal School of Dallas, received a nomination to attend the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y. Candidates must undergo a rigorous selection process and be nominated by a member of Congress, the vice president or from the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marine Corps.Nominations are determined based on academic performance, college entrance test scores, physical aptitude, medical certification, extracurricular activities and demonstrated leadership potential.

DIANAMARQUIS was appointed director of development for the neighborhood nonprofit the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind, which provides support for the visually impaired in North Texas. Marquis leads development and communications, overseeing fundraising, events, marketing and organ donations. Kathleen Ernst was appointed the National Industries for the Blind Fellow for Leadership Development to serve through August 2011. For information about Dallas Lighthouse, visit dallaslighthouse.org.

DIRECTOR CLAY LIFORD’S NEWEST FILM, “WUSS”, premieres at the SXSW Film Festival March 11-19. East Dallas filmmaker Eric Steele produced the movie with partners Barak Epstein and Adam Donaghey.“Wuss” is about a high school teacher bullied by his students, and the movie was shot in Dallas and Garland. For information, visit wussmovie.com.

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Ron Burch office: 972-733-9504 ron.burch@cbdfw.com

*Statistics are com piled by Ron Burch of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and are de rived from Dallas Mul ti ple List ing Service (MLS). Numbers are believed to be re li able, but are not guar an teed. The Ad vo cate and Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage are not re spon si ble for the ac cu ra cy of the in for ma tion.