Enlightened Money

Enlightened Money

A deep yearning exists in each of us to find the sacred, yes, the holy even in that medium of exchange we call money. It is this vital tool of our culture that sustains and comforts. So how can we better see its blessedness. How can we know its goodness, not only in the work of commerce, but in our philanthropic insights.

Let me be clear: any fool knows it’s not the paper money that is holy but the human will, the heart, the good intention of the user that makes this symbol sacred. And when it happens, I’m right there.

I chanced upon an article in Ode Magazine, a magazine that refuses to publish “doom and gloom,” characteristic of so much media, but spreads good news, publishes the reality stories that say people are making a difference.

When I came to this banking story, a corporation that is all about money, I was thrilled to read how the ShoreBank Enterprise Cascadi lives up to its motto: “Let’s change the World.”

This dedicated institution is doing just that. Their stated mission is to support rural communities, people who have poor credit, or who are low-income, or otherwise ignored by the “normal” banking world. In 2007, they provided $13.7 million in loans, eighty percent of them in rural communities.

Most recently, when the landlords of Tryon Life Community Farm in Portland decided to sell their land to a residential developer to build 23 upscale homes, the Farm’s resident renters faced eviction. This Portland farm community had to raise more than $1.4 million to buy the land themselves. They went after the money, fundraising and seeking help from all sectors of the Portland community. ShoreBank loaned them $600,000.

The president of the Farm’s board of directors had this to say: "Other people (banks) would have just shaken their heads and said, ‘You have no track record. You’re hippies. No Way.’ But ShoreBank thought that what we were doing was important.”

Oh, if only the myopic American banking system could be that enlightened, could aim not only toward profit but balance financial goals with the needs of the communities. I believe that when our institutions do this kind of good with their money, they bring a bit of divinity into our commercial world. No one really loses. Communities would thrive, and yes, the banks would thrive as well. Where good will is practiced, there is always something of God at work.