City's churches offer financial advice on foreclosure and repairing credit
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City's churches offer financial advice on foreclosure and repairing credit
BY CLAIRE SERANT
Sunday, July 20th 2008, 2:26 PM
Koester for News
The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York offers members financial counseling.
Exterior of Greater Allen Bales for News
Exterior of Greater Allen
The Rev. Edwin Reed and Greta Gainer Anderson with Beverly Halley (c.) at a seminar this month. Noonan for News
The Rev. Edwin Reed and Greta Gainer Anderson with Beverly Halley (c.) at a seminar this month.
The city's African-American churches have long preached spiritual salvation, but many have now expanded the message to include financial solvency.
The subprime mortgage mess, a spike in foreclosures and rising unemployment has church leaders seeing money matters as a natural part of their mission.
"Throughout history, black churches have been the institutions that promoted redemption, revitalization and healing," said the Rev. Dennis Dillon, pastor of Brooklyn Christian Center. "The larger community looks to the church for answers [on everything] from civil rights, social services and the political arena."
Other faiths preach finances, too. With foreclosures rising in Brooklyn and Queens, the Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn ran 10 financial counseling workshops in those boroughs earlier this year, spokesman Frank DeRosa said.
"The gospel mandates the church give a hand to people facing a difficult situation," DeRosa said.
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