A church I once served did a building project to make the church accessible.

It was no easy task.

The building was historic; there were some unique architectural details to be considered.

And then there was the pipe organ. Pipe organs and construction do not go well together. At all.

Running alongside all of this engineering work was the fundraising. And it was a major task. The total project cost was well into six figures.

We did everything; government grants, fundraisers and, of course, pledges from church members and the community.

I recall one day someone on the fundraising group came to see me at the church. We talked about how well the fundraising was going. It wasn’t, until then.

Then they broke the news to me that they had received a commitment from a church member who pledged to complete the project, once the bills were all in. It was not a small sum.

There was one condition. No one was to know who the donor was.

I would find out eventually, but the donor had asked to keep the gift private. I respected that request and in doing so, I learned a valuable lesson. 

Sometimes privacy in charitable giving really matters.

Another lesson I learned from that project was that sometimes the best of intentioned commitments can’t be fulfilled.

There were a very small number of commitments to the project which people did not complete.

When the question was raised among those doing the fundraising, I was told that in each case there were real and genuine reasons why the pledges were not completed and that in one case it was felt that it was indicative of a serious pastoral matter, which I might wish to attend to.

I did. And I learned another valuable lesson.

Sometimes life circumstances are such that a person, no matter how well intentioned, has to be released from their pledge and thanked graciously for all they have done.

There is no shame in not keeping a financial pledge to a cause when the project is oversubscribed and circumstances dictate that money be directed elsewhere.

Those two issues, privacy and commitment to pledges, have raised their heads in our community in the last couple of weeks.

It hasn’t been pretty.

There have been public accusations of “secret” meetings and bad faith in not keeping a pledge on the part of various people and elected politicians.

I don’t think that is the case.

I believe there are times that privacy should be respected, especially in the charitable sector. If a donor or recipients wishes to have a private discussion with the other concerning a donation, that wish should be respected. It doesn’t mean that the result should not be reported out.

In the case of the hospital foundation and the city of Owen Sound, I understand the request for a private meeting on the city’s pledge to the MRI campaign was from both sides and the result was reported publicly.

I also believe that I, as a recipient of a donation, should respect a donor’s wish with respect to a pledge.

If Mr. Jones were to make a pledge to my church and then find that he could not fulfill that pledge because he had to sell his home and move into a retirement home, I can’t and shouldn’t question that.

Perhaps it’s time the rhetoric around the city and the MRI campaign be dialed back.

The early Christian writer Paul of Tarsus said in his second letter to the early church in Corinth, “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.”

And if we supported the causes in our community with delight and thanks instead of giving by guilt or arm-twisting, perhaps we might feel a lot better about what we give and how we give to support our community needs.