One North Carolina church  is worried about reaching those who work on Sundays. “We know that people don’t have Sundays off like they used to,” said the Rev. Anna Mandelstamm, so they came up with the idea “Work on Sunday? Worship with us on Monday!”
Mandelstamm said she initially worried there would be some backlash from outsiders [...]

Apparently, the recession is leaving many families unable to pay for elaborate funerals and burials, and they’re now opting for cremation, ”even when their culture or religion calls for such customs.”
Many are turning to cremation as a more budget-friendly alternative.  The cost of a cremation, with the ashes either returned to the family in a container [...]

Former Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee this weekend introduces a fundraising network to help churches during these lean times. The Christian Values Network is being touted as a vehicle to help generate funds for churches and faith-based charities.
Christian Values Network is a free service that allows members to shop online at nearly 900 popular internet retailers who in [...]

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach spoke with BiblEconomy about the roots of the financial crisis and how we transcend it.
“The collapse of our economy was caused not by an economic crisis but a spiritual crisis called greed, where you become voracious and insatiable. I believe that the Jewish community, and the Jewish religion has unique values that need [...]

The Dallas Morning News’ Religion Blog convened a “Texas Panel” to ruminate over faith and the famous CNBC Rick Santelli monologue. Deal Hudson, director of InsideCatholic.com made this observation:
There is no obligation whatsoever for the government to “bail out” banks, investment firms, or individual homeowners who can’t pay their mortgages. The reason the government has started [...]

Column worth reading by Kristine Frederickson in the Mormon Times on the perils of conspicuous consumption and how now necessity ”has engendered thrift, industry and charitable impulses and actions” prompting a new recognition of the difference between wants and needs, teaching us “to live well on less.”
She says that in 1869 Brigham Young:
…explained that others looked at the [...]

Hilton Head’s Island Packet Online reports on the booming business of bartering, during this cash-tight period:
John Roppelt’s eyes opened to the potential of bartering when he got Lasik eye surgery without spending a dime of his own money. A partner in Main Street Cafe & Pub, Roppelt started trading credits to his restaurant on the north end [...]

A modern-day demonstration that faith is a gift that keeps on giving, the Omaha World-Herald reports annual fish fries “flourish in economic chill.”
Aiming to feed multitudes, organizers hope to raise money for charitable projects. The paper said: 
Good food gets ‘em in the door,and a good cause doesn’t hurt.

So much for moderation among our public officials. The Washington Times reports Postmaster General John E. Potter has received a nearly 40% pay raise since 2006 and even got a six-figure incentive bonus last year. This as the USPS faces a multibillion-dollar shortfall that threatens a day of mail delivery. This will be the subject [...]

Update: TIME Magazine writes about renewing Sunday alcohol sales in states besides Georgia.
A handful of state legislatures have declared it’s closing time for Sunday alcohol sales restrictions, saying an extra day of sales could give their foundering budgets a much-needed shot of revenue. Those states — Georgia, Connecticut, Texas, Alabama and Minnesota — enjoy overwhelming [...]