Diocesan Services

Unemployment, One Congregation’s Response to Enron

On December 2, 2001, Enron, once the world’s largest oil and natural gas trader, filed for bankruptcy. Perhaps one of the most vivid memories of its failure was the news coverage which showed a steady stream of employees exiting the corporate headquarters in Houston carrying armloads of personal possessions from their offices, wearing the stunned expressions of persons who had just learned that they had not only lost their jobs but that the stock in which many had invested was worthless. Some of these were members of Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church in Houston. That congregation’s understanding of the pastoral care emergency and its response may have a few useful suggestions to offer congregations in the current economic crisis.

“We had watched Enron going down,” remembered The Rev. Jim Nutter, rector. “So we wrote a mass ‘flash news’ to those who worked for Enron. It simply said it’s clear Enron’s going down will impact many of you. You are invited to an open lunch next Wednesday to talk and 40 people showed up. Twenty more responded who couldn’t come for a variety of reasons but wanted to be on the list.”
The agenda for lunch was simple. Nutter asked people to tell what they did, their connection to Enron, asked, “How you are.”

Everyone had an opportunity to speak. Some couldn’t and that was honored. Nutter said he learned that some had lost jobs because wouldn’t do something. Many lost all of their savings. Some spouses came when persons couldn’t. At the end of the meeting, Nutter asked the group, “What can we can do here to love you, support you, and be part of your healing process?”

In the weeks that followed, church members and staff set up ongoing counseling with professionals who gave their time. They had already identified community resources for career counseling, resume work, etc. Both of these groups had life for about two to three months. In addition they crafted special prayer during Prayers of the People and conducted a sermon series about work life. This last asked the question, “Can you so pursue work life that you loose your soul?” Nutter said that in weeks to come he talked about how to loose, and how to regain your soul.

They also discovered that the need extended beyond Enron employees and that there was a need for a sacramental/confessional/ reconciliation element. Some persons  felt compromised by things they had done,  things that made them uneasy but eventually found themselves after time doing things they would never have done. That sacrament available for anyone who needed it.

Palmer Memorial’s focus on Enron’s former employees lasted about six months, less for some people. “After about six months we realized the season was over though there were some individual who still needed it.” Reflecting on those memories, Nutter had this to say, “The best thing we did was have the initial meeting, putting it out there, listening and praying together. When I told the congregation what we had done, I had people volunteering to help. After the first worship service where I talked about this, I had a pocketful of business cares from people saying, ‘If I can be a Barnabas to anyone, here’s my card’. What we learned is that the Holy Huddle doesn’t work anymore. We need to take out the stained glass windows and engage the culture, pay attention to what’s going on.”