Yes, the summer months are tough on ministries. Donations are down all over, including here in the ol’ A&O bunker. But after getting eight copies of the same “we are about to go belly up, we need a quarter of a million bucks right now” e-mails from Catholic Answers, I started getting another one, featuring a Madonna/child graphic, for the Catholic Answers Forums. You all know about those forums: I quote from them often enough. I have now gotten at least three, possibly four, copies of this e-mail that begins,
Dear Friend of Catholic Answers,
Our dire financial situationhas placed a key part of our ministry at risk: our popular Internet forums.
Without a substantial infusionof money, we will be forced to curtail Catholic Answers Forums.
We need you to join us as a supporter of the extremely effective Catholic Answers Forums site.
Together with the others, I’m right at a dozen or so fund-raising e-mails from Catholic Answers. And Jim Swan sent me one he got from Sophia Institute Press that began,
Indeed, I’ve brought forth into the world over two million copies of books by the very best Catholic authors, living and dead — authors whose holiness and wisdom continually draw souls to the Church (the perfect Church) that Christ founded 2,000 years ago.
Now, however, all this is threatened.
We may have to close our doors.
Slow sales this past summer have left us with an empty checkbook and overdue bills approaching $75,000.
If I don’t pay this soon, we’ll have to cease publishing.
I believe a number of Dave Armstrong’s titles are with Sophia Institute Press.
Here’s my suggestion as to how you can help all these folks out! First, make sure you are doing what God would have you to do in supporting your local church. Then, consider supporting good ministries that have a long track record of remaining focused on what is important. I think, by God’s grace, A&O qualifies. We will do our best to keep working so that Catholic Answers and the rest won’t have to worry about the summer slump anymore! Meanwhile, we promise not to send anyone a dozen e-mails begging for support. We will just let you know: we need it, we hope you are blessed by what we do, and we pray God will continue to give us even more opportunities in the future to glorify His name through the proclamation and defense of the gospel.
—in the defense and confirmation of the gospel
