April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
DAVE RAMSEY PROGRAM
Crescent parish promotes 'financial peace' for Catholics
Crescent parish promotes 'financial peace' for Catholics
After attending Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" program at her parish last fall, Mrs. Bolek and her husband, Mike, have changed the way they think about money.
The couple took the nine-week class -- described in promotional materials as "practical, entertaining and fun" -- last year, along with more than 40 others at the parish.
St. Mary's is the first parish in the Diocese to offer FPU, which consists of videos and exercises led by Dave Ramsey, a Christian businessman and author who coaches people on leaving their debt behind and achieving "financial peace." The parish just started its second series of FPU sessions.
According to www.daveramsey.com, the average family participating in the program is able to put away $2,000 in savings and pay off $5,000 in debt in the first three months afterward.
Mr. and Mrs. Bolek are both retired, although Mrs. Bolek works per diem as a nurse. They have never been in substantial debt, but after completing FPU, the couple paid off their mortgage and are on their way to paying off Mrs. Bolek's car.
Attending to debt
"Before, I never paid attention to my finances," Mrs. Bolek told The Evangelist. "Now, I'm paying attention. For the first time in 21 years, my husband and I are on the same page about money."
St. Mary's decided to offer the program after Grace Fellowship, a local Evangelical church, shared the idea with Rev. Joseph Cebula, pastor at St. Mary's. Volunteers from Grace Fellowship helped facilitate the first session for the parish.
Going forward, volunteers from St. Mary's are being trained to lead the course themselves.
Father Cebula has met many Catholics for whom balancing personal budgets is a challenge.
"People are struggling with finances," he said. "It's a reality."
The FPU program teaches people how to organize their finances and focus on actual needs in life.
Change of mind
"We realized how materialistic our society is," Mrs. Bolek remarked, noting that, this year, she bought her family tickets to the theater for Christmas, focusing on enjoying an experience instead of an object.
"It was a whole mindset change," she said. "Now, I spend less."
Stephanie Nolet, pastoral associate for administration at St. Mary's, noted that FPU is meant for everyone. There were participants who were college-aged, she said, and "it was interesting to me to see the takeaways."
For instance, Mrs. Bolek told The Evangelist that she was excited to share some of the information she learned about student loans with her children and grandchildren. Mr. Ramsey says that student loans can be debilitating, but loan forgiveness is hard to come by, so students shouldn't assume they can avoid paying off their debt. In FPU, he discusses options like military service and spreading out college attendance over a longer period of time.
"We bought the books for both of my children," Mrs. Bolek said.
Faith-based
The program also incorporates Scripture into finding financial freedom. Using passages from the Bible in the sessions shows how money was dealt with by other people of faith, Mrs. Nolet said.
"You work too hard to get to the end of your life and be broke," Mr. Ramsey says in an FPU video, adding that God has a plan.
"What would happen to the people of God if the kingdom of God was out of debt?" he muses.[[In-content Ad]]
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