OGDEN -- There may be only about 200 in attendance each week at the Seventh-day Adventist Church but the ability of those few to help others has astounded even their pastor.
Pastor Jeff Wait said answering the call to assist in hard times has been difficult for his congregation, especially for the past year and a half.
The down economy has brought with it both a decrease in donations and an increase in community need, he said.
"Right now, we are completely down on our funds," he said, noting that he gets calls on a regular basis from people who have had nothing to do with his church in the past who are asking for help.
While the requests for help at times seem overwhelming and foreboding, at the same time, Wait said he has been amazed at the willingness of his congregation to help others.
When members found out about a need the other night, for example, it spurred an impromptu giving opportunity, and a handful of people opened their wallets and offered to share what they had.
"They are doing what they can," Wait said. "You've got to appreciate that."
The Rev. Alane Currier Griggs, of First United Methodist Church, said she also has noticed members stepping up to the plate to help her church in hard times.
"We're OK," she said. "We have very faithful members. ... Our giving has not changed. We have a little less people, but we don't have any less giving. There's not a lot of security financially, but people still give."
The congregation built a new church last year with the expectation that a bigger congregation would come to fill the space, but Griggs said instead it has stayed about the same.
She blames the economy for this.
"People are moving, and we are not getting the influx," she said, pointing to layoffs at Alliant Techsystems Inc.
But in her personal life, Griggs said, she's much more affected by the close of religion-based schools in the area this year.
"The combination of the economy and charter schools has put our Christian schools out of business," she said, noting the devastation she felt when her son, Ben, wouldn't be returning to St. Paul Lutheran School this fall.
"There's nothing like a Christian school," she said, adding that she appreciates teachers being able to pray with their students.
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints newsroom website "the demand on the welfare system of the church has risen significantly due to the downturn in the U.S. economy."
"We're seeing a 40- to 50-percent increase in people seeking help with employment-related needs than we were two years ago," said Scott Trotter, spokesman for the LDS Church.
The church operates several employment service opportunities in Utah and around the world.
Lt. Peter C. Pemberton, of The Salvation Army Ogden Corps, said his organization is having to become more creative to meet the needs of those who go without and who struggle with addictions, the basis of his church organization.
"The state of today's poor economy is causing us to consider new, innovative ways to serve the community," he wrote in an e-mail to the Standard-Examiner. "We are certainly feeling the strains, but are dedicated to continue our mission of meeting the needs of the less fortunate!"
Pastor Bob Cadman, of the Community of Christ congregation in Ogden, said the biggest problem he sees is that people who are out of work are having a harder time getting jobs in a timely manner.
But he noted that a lot of his congregation is retired anyway and doesn't need that kind of help.
"We've cut down on the overall family giving, partly because of the economy," he said.
He said he believes one member has cut down on her personal contributions as she is helping a member of her family cope with a lost job.
Betty Yamashita, treasurer at the Ogden Buddhist Church, said public participation in their two annual fundraisers has decreased because of the economy, so church members have to make up the difference to pay the costs associated with their building.
Vicar Claudia Seiter, who oversees congregations at both St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Clearfield and St. Michael's Episcopal Church in Brigham City, said while she has seen an increase in need because of the bad economy, she also has seen an increase in giving.
"There has been a slimming in resources," she said. "The people have continued to be very generous."
Seiter said her Clearfield church recently held a Christmas in July event where members gathered school supplies, clothing and money for a nearby school with a high percentage of students in great need.
"It was extremely successful," she said.
In Brigham City, she said, the small parish supports 13 outreach missions, including the food pantry where she sits on the board.
"I have seen an increase in the need for food," she said. "God willing, the contributions have continued."
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