Hi. Pleased to meet you. My name is Economic Person (historically, the male economist Adam Smith dubbed me “Economic Man”), and my pronouns are “Mine/Mine/and Mine.” 

I’m sure we’ve all run across Economic Person in some form, usually in textbooks, sometimes in person. Either way, you know them: the person always looking out for their own benefit first. The person who never acts on feelings but only on data, always looking to optimize their return on investment. 

If we ask Economic Person what First Unitarian is worth to them, the answer will be, in monetary terms: zero. As with pretty much all non-profits, a dollar contributed to First Unitarian is a dollar you will not see again — at least, directly.* Looking at a guaranteed return on investment of negative 100%, textbook Economic Person would quickly pass on contributing anything at all to the Church. 

So much for theory. In reality, First Unitarian has a dedicated core of congregants who, year after year, voluntarily pledge — sometimes a little, sometimes a lot — to the Church, with no expectation of profit or even return of their money. Are we Unitarians therefore, just fools with our money? Or, perhaps, is the usual definition of Economic Person too narrow to describe the full range of human motivations? 

Adam Smith himself freely acknowledged that real people are rarely so one dimensional; that real people, while often seeking personal gain, also care for “humanity, justice, generosity and public spirit.” 

Humanity. Justice. Generosity. Public spirit. If you add “the free search for truth and meaning” and “building community,” … you get Unitarian Universalism in a nutshell. We, the congregation, obviously find these things of value to us. Under this broader definition of value-received, even Economic Person can justify making a free-will pledge to the Church since there is a true return in what First Unitarian does for members of the congregation and the wider Portland and UUA communities. 

In addition to our Season of Giving, the Alliance Winter Sale returns in full force this year with the sale of cookies and treasures on December 4 and 11 after the service. As with the previous two years, wreaths and garlands will be offered online (see the link in next week’s Front Steps enews) from October 16 through November 13, with pick up the first weekend in December. Over the past 25 years, the Alliance has raised over $100,000 for many different charities, mainly those focused on mothers and children in need. 

This fall, Alliance programs have highlighted the 8th Principle by featuring organizations such as Constructing Hope and the Assistance League of Greater Portland. Constructing Hope is a training program for people learning the “trades” and wanting to enter the workforce, and the Assistance League has five programs to help children and families in poverty. In November, the Alliance will host Dr. Marisa Zapata. An Associate Professor of Land Use Planning and Director of the Homelessness Research and Action Collaborative at Portland State University. 

The Board will be holding its first forum of the church year on Sunday, October 30, from 12:00-1:15. We will be talking about governance, the role of the Board, and supporting our transition to our new Senior Minister. There will be time for Q & A. You can attend in person in Eliot Chapel or via Zoom at this link: https://tinyurl.com/4zrsfetw. We hope to see you there. 

As we go into this year’s Season of Giving: Go in peace, practice love, and may we all be Economic Person in our most humane way. 

Andy Wilson, 

Treasurer, First Unitarian Church and First Unitarian Church Foundation *As textbook Economic Person would be first to point out, there can be tax benefits from contributions to nonprofits.