The Rev. Fa Lane reflects on her experience in receiving a grant through the Christmas Fund after going through life-altering, financially challenging moments. She discusses the relief it provided her, the mental hurdles she faced, and advice for clergy members in similar positions.
It was 2022. Rev. Fa Lane, Associate Pastor at Christ Church UCC in Carlisle, PA, a dedicated member of the Pennsylvania Central Conference, and ordained in 2017 as a Central Atlantic Conference hospice chaplain, was recovering from a stroke and struggling to pay medical bills stemming from breast cancer treatments.
“Things were tight already anyway, and then there was an ambulance ride and doctors, and hospitalization,” said Rev. Lane, as she described the mounting medical bills. “What people don’t think about is that after immediate hospitalization, the doctors then want you to go see all kinds of specialists.”
The numerous appointments and physical therapy sessions only escalated her financial strain.
“I just felt sad. I felt stuck, and I felt frustrated,” said Rev. Lane.
At this point in her life, Rev. Lane admitted that she had hoped to have more liberty with her finances, but medical bills and unexpected vehicle expenses jeopardized this goal, as well as her desire to contribute more money into her Lifetime Retirement Income Plan with the Pension Boards.
Rev. Lane eventually learned about the Christmas Fund through her Conference Minister, Carrie Call, whom she described as “a very caring woman” and who suggested she apply for a Christmas Fund grant. “If she’s alerted to a concern, she’s very compassionate,” said Rev. Lane. “She’s proactive for her pastors.”
Soon after applying, a Christmas Fund grant in the amount $2,500 helped Rev. Lane pay down the medical expenses she incurred. She paid off a portion of her physical therapy and the cost for an ambulance ride. Fortunately, her insurance through the Pension Boards covered a fair amount of the hospitalization costs.
“Being a pastor is not easy. Being a pastor is not lucrative, but the Christmas Fund is there for you.”
“Being a pastor is not easy. Being a pastor is not lucrative, but the Christmas Fund is there for you,” Rev. Lane noted. She went on to share that if people understood the financial constraints of being a pastor, more people would be willing to give to causes like the Christmas Fund.
“I want to be generous like everybody else. It’s hard not to have the money I need. But it was such a caring experience to have the support of my Conference Minister,” she added.
Rev. Lane also acknowledged that pastors often avoid admitting to their economic hardships because they serve God and should not be worried about money. She also hesitates to tell her congregation that she received a grant to help with her medical bills. “As much as I know, it helped, and as wonderful as my congregation is, I still feel a little embarrassed about it,” she said. Despite knowing her church would contribute if they understood her financial realities, she still fears them thinking less of her because she couldn’t manage financially. “I faced embarrassment about not managing myself in a good way,” said Rev. Lane. “I was worried that if I made bad decisions and choices, is that how people would think of me?”
“Money is a fact of our human life, and you have to pay for things,” she concluded. “If there’s an opportunity to get help, I encourage clergy to get the help that God is sending you.”
