Speaking of Money

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Speaking ofMoney

• OMD District Assembly
• March 28, 2009
• Presented by Patricia Infante

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Introduction

• Purpose
• Participation
• Strategy
• Tools

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History of Money

• Money has been around for thousands of years.
• Money is a construct of the human mind. It
  facilitates the exchange of good and services
  among individuals and groups.
• Money came about because humans have the capacity
  to assign value to symbols.

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History of Money

• Earliest practice was barter.
• Early money was commodity money.
• What we think of as money is representative
  money.

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Evolution of Money

• According to Lynne Twist in The Soul of Money
• Somewhere along the way the power we gave money
  outstripped its original utilitarian role. Now,
  rather than relating to money as a tool we
  created and control, we have come to relate to
  money as if it is a fact of nature, a force to be
  reckoned with. This stuff called money has
  become the single most controlling force in our
  lives.

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Money is Power

• Lynne Twist goes on to say
• Money has only the power we assign to it, and
  we have assigned it immense power. We have given
  it almost final authority. If we look only at
  behavior, it tells us that we have made money
  more important than we are, given it more meaning
  than human life.

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Money and Soul The Great Divide

• For most of us, the relationship with money is
  a deeply conflicted one, and our behavior with
  and around money is often at odds with our most
  deeply help values, commitments, and ideals
  what I call our soul.
• Lynne Twist, from The Soul of Money

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Food for Thought

• A man is rich in proportion to the number of
  things which he can afford to let alone.
• From Walden by Henry David Thoreau

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Exercise 1Personal Money History

• Most of our attitudes and beliefs about money
  come from our experience with money in our
  families of origin.
• Money attitudes are shaped by socioeconomic
  factors, gender, power relationships.
• Money is the last taboo.

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Questions for Exercise 1

• What messages about money did your mother give
  you?
• What messages did your father give you?
• Your grandparents?
• Your friends?
• Your religious training?
• Your teachers?

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Money in Our Lives

• Money is the last taboo.
• Money is the top stressor for 8 of 10 Americans
  (Monitor on Psychology, December 2008).
• Money is the cause of relationship issues.
• Women are most likely to feel stress about
  finances.

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Money and Stress

• Some facts from the APAs 2008 Stress in America
  Survey
• 50 of Americans say they are stressed about
  their ability to provide their familys basic
  needs.
• 53 report feeling more fatigued.
• 60 report feeling irritable or angry.
• 52 report laying awake at night

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More Stress

• 48 reported overeating or eating unhealthy foods
  to manage stress.
• 18 report drinking alcohol to cope.
• 58 say they would be uncomfortable seeking
  professional advice to help manage stress or
  stress-related problems.

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Money and Ministry

• Money affects our health, our welfare, our life
  balance, our relationships, our sense of personal
  value, our sense of wholeness.
• Our inability to talk about money is creating a
  spiritual deficit.
• Talking helps.

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Where Can We Talk?

• Society has a taboo around money.
• Money issues bring up feelings of shame and
  guilt.
• There is no educational or philosophical
  grounding that helps us sort out what money is
  and what it isnt.

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3 Toxic Myths About Money

• There isnt enough.
• More is better.
• Thats just the way it is.

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Money Personality

• All of the money messages and the money history
  we have been exposed to throughout our life have
  contributed to our own unique money personality.

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Identifying Our Money Personality

• Am I a saver or a spender?
• How important is money to me compared to
  happiness?
• What have I done with my money?
• How do I use money as a relationship tool?
• How have I voted as a consumer with my money?
• What more would I like to know about or do with
  the money I have?

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Exercise 2

• Money Personality Quiz
• Most of us are a combination of one or two
  types.
• We are often attracted to our opposite.

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Money Challenges

• Debt
• Lack of basic skills
• Consumer culture
• Debt is okay

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Financial Integrity Transforming Your
Relationship with Money
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Fulfillment Curve
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Fulfillment Curve
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Fulfillment Curve
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Fulfillment Curve
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Fulfillment Curve
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Fulfillment Curve
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What is enough?

• Accountability and basic financial intelligence.
• An internal yardstick for measuring.
• A purpose in life.
• Responsibility and a sense of how your life fits
  in with your community and the needs of the world.

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Why Money Ministry?

• Money or the lack of money can create feelings of
  spiritual emptiness, fear and pain.
• A sense of balance helps us live healthier,
  happier lives.
• The choices we make around money are a reflection
  of our core beliefs.

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Money and the 7 Principles1st Principle

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person.
• People have inherent worth and dignity and money
  does not.

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Money and the 7 Principles2nd Principle

• Justice, equity and compassion in human
  relations.
• A society driven by consumerism breaks down into
  haves and have nots. Justice and equity are
  compromised.
• As demand for consumer goods grows, more workers
  are needed. Oppression, slavery and an
  overreliance on third world resources may be the
  indirect result.

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Money and the 7 Principles3rd Principle

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to
  spiritual growth in our congregations.
• We need to let go of keeping up with our
  neighbors. Acceptance of one another as we are
  can allow us to free ourselves of the trappings
  of lifestyle.

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Money and the 7 Principles 4th Principle

• A free and responsible search for truth and
  meaning.
• If we are in debt or burdened by emotional issues
  regarding money, we are less than whole and our
  spiritual selves are not free to open up and
  fully develop.

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Money and the 7 Principles5th Principle

• The right of conscience and the use of the
  democratic process within our congregations and
  in society at large.
• We must vote with our dollars. Support the
  causes that affirm our principles, both UU
  principles and our own deeply held ethical
  beliefs.

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Money and the 7 Principles6th Principle

• The goal of world community with peace, liberty,
  and justice for all.
• Again, oppression, slavery and exploitation of
  women and children may be the result of living in
  a consumer driven society.

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Money and the 7 Principles7th Principle

• Respect for the interdependent web of all
  existence of which we are a part.
• Our planet is our only home and we are slowly but
  surely destroying it. Deforestation, landfills,
  smog, ozone holes, depletion of natural resources
  and global warming are real issues that will
  change the delicate eco-balance for humans,
  animals and plants.

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Money and Our Young People

• Teach Philanthropy at home, in school and in our
  religious communities.
• Modeling
• Cognitive Learning
• Experiential Learning

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Food for Thought

• Making of a lot of money is alright provided you
  dont have to pay too much for it.

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What are Some Strategies?

• Mentorship or coaching
• Basic skills class money management or personal
  finance.
• Small Group Ministry
• Simplicity Circle
• Pastoral Counseling

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How About Tools?

• Financial Integrity 9 step program
• Small Group Ministry Guide
• Books
• Online Resources
• Partners UUSC, UU 7th Principle Project, Seeds
  of Simplicity

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Money Management Softwarewww.amazon.com
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Money and the Church
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Questions for Congregational Reflection

• Does our congregation offer a safe space to talk
  about money?
• What are the messages we consciously or (more
  likely) unconsciously send about money?
• Are we focusing on money in an unhealthy way?
• What resources do we provide to meet the money
  ministry needs of our people?

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Final thought from Henry

• Simplicity,
• simplicity,
• simplicity.