Heating costs spiked in January, and some people were struggling to pay the bill.

Trinity Wesleyan Church felt the chilling effect as well.

“Gas prices were through the roof,” said Ron Hurlocker, senior pastor of Trinity’s 100-member congregation, “and we had to heat the church. But at the end of the month, we didn’t have enough money to pay the bill. Our offerings were at an all-time low.

“We had to rely on God to make a way where there didn’t seem to be a way. In the last six months, we’ve had to tighten our belts.”

Hurlocker’s church isn’t alone.

With Kokomo’s 18-percent unemployment rate — the nation’s highest — and two of the city’s largest employers, Chrysler Group LLC and Delphi Corp., experiencing bankruptcy, giving to churches and nonprofit organizations has been down.

Recently the Howard County United Way’s one-month campaign generated $15,000 for a $200,000 campaign.

However, church attendance usually increases during a bad economy, said Tamara Nashman, a Florida-based licensed minister with 25-years experience as a life coach and counselor.

“A bad economy is often good for church attendance. The likelihood is during those times, people hit their knees and ask God for help,” said Nashman, author of “Shoes For The Spirit: A Guide to Your Spiritual Walk.” “Turning to God is not a bad place. It’s the best place to go.

“In some areas of the country, giving may be down. But people still want to give. It’s a blessing to give to others and God will bless you. There are so many ways God can bless when you have a giving heart.”

The Bible mandates followers give at least 10 percent of their income to the church. Although her income has varied during the past year, giving is what Debra Lewis does; even when she doesn’t have much to give.

“Last year, I was working and making $40,000. But I lost that job and I still managed to set aside my 10 percent,” said Lewis, a single mother of three who moved back to Kokomo last month.

“I am unemployed right now and looking for a job, but every time I go to church, I always give something and I give it cheerfully. That’s what God said to do and I am doing it.”

Recently, several national studies presented findings showing how bad economic times affect people’s giving to churches.

In May, the Lake Institute On Faith and Giving, a program of The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, sponsored “Religious Giving in Uncertain Times” conference. Three major faiths, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, were represented.

The conference’s overview was religious communities were feeling the effects of the recession: Mega churches were experiencing the largest decreases in funding and small churches were holding steady.

Hurlocker can testify to that.

His church has placed a Tree of Need in its foyer. The tree has specific needs parishioners can give to, and Hurlocker said “that level of giving has increased. They have been very responsive to it. We are amazed how they have responded and we have had no cuts in programming. We’ve been able to do more ministries in the last six months with less. It has had a positive impact on the entire church.”

In February, the Illinois-based Empty Tomb Inc. released “Church Member Giving and Recession Years, 1968-2005.” Empty Tomb analyzes trends in church giving.

Their analysis showed that during six recessions from 1968 to 2005, individual giving declined during three recessions and increased in the remaining three.

Furthermore, in inflation-adjusted 2000 dollars, individuals’ annual contribution increased from $388.62 in 1968 to $697.28 in 2005.

For a local non-denominational church, seeing a small decrease in giving during a recession, especially when a large decrease was forecast, can be like Jesus making the blind man see.

“We were warned by a local financial planner who works with churches to expect a 10 to 15 percent drop in giving. But in June, we were only 3.7 percent behind where we were this time last year. Based on what we were told, we were pleased with that,” said Karl Stoneking, director of finance for Oakbrook Community Church.

Furthermore, the church’s 1,000-plus congregation isn’t just giving money. Stoneking said members recently donated 2,700 pounds of food to the Kokomo Urban Outreach, which was accompanied by $9,000 in cash.

In addition, the church recently sent a missionary team to Haiti with two dentists.

One Sunday morning, parishioners were told a dental chair was needed and “on that one Sunday, $3,500 was donated to pay for the chair in cash. Our people have been very genuine in meeting our needs,” said Stoneking.

Regardless of the economy, when a church meets the needs of others, giving usually doesn’t decrease, said Jim Sheppard.

Sheppard is the CEO of Generis, an Atlanta, Ga.-based consulting firm that advises churches and charities on fundraising.

In the past 20 years, Sheppard said “across the board, this is the worst I’ve seen it. We got hit in the stock market and in real estate. I don’t recall that ever happening. I imagine being in an automotive community like Kokomo, it’s probably worst for churches there than say Houston.”

Yet, he adds, churches have one way to increase or maintain their giving level.

“Churches have an advantage non-profits don’t have: They have a personal relationship with their members 52 weeks a year,” said Sheppard. “Non-profits don’t have that.

“If that one church is only down 3 percent, they should go out there and have a party or something. That’s really good. When churches remain true to their vision and purpose, people will give money and invest in something bigger than themselves.

“Increased giving reflects renewed confidence. People want to contribute more money because people want to help people in the world. It’s not an inward focus people contribute to, it’s contributing to people who aren’t members. That’s noble.”

For at least 10 Wednesdays this summer, the Morning Star Church is contributing free popcorn and sodas to people attending the concerts in Highland Park.

The 400-member church pays for the snacks, feeding up to 1,500.

“This is an very important outreach for us. It is an new way for us to reach people,” said senior pastor Greg Reed

As a result, reaching more people means more people giving to support the needs of his church.

“We’ve paired with other churches to start a transportation ministry to get people back and forth from Indianapolis to look for jobs. Some people have found jobs. That’s very exciting,” said Reed. “Seeing more people in church when [economic] times are bad isn’t unexpected. When people lose what they trust in, like a job, they return to what they trust and more people come to church.

“Our people have been very faithful with their tithes and offerings. They have been great.”

• K.O. Jackson is the Tribune’s business writer. He can be reached at (765) 854-6739 or via e-mail kirven.jackson@kokomotribune.com