Thousands of church and faith-based higher ed jobs were retained through the federal Payroll Protection Program.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
At least 47 Churches of Christ across the nation received loans of $150,000 or more through the federal government’s coronavirus relief bill, a Christian Chronicle analysis found.
In all, those Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act loans amounted to at least $9,450,000 — and as much as $23 million — for Churches of Christ, according to a list released this week by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the passage of the $670 billion Payroll Protection Plan — which was designed to avert mass layoffs by the nation’s small businesses.
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Roughly 1,900 jobs, from ministry staff to daycare workers, were retained by the Churches of Christ listed. However, the federal data did not cite specific numbers for a few congregations that received funds.
Also, the names of loan recipients, including churches, that received less than $150,000 were not released. Those unidentified recipients comprise more than 80 percent of the total loans.
Meanwhile, at least 10 higher education institutions associated with Churches of Christ got loans.
This story appears in the online edition of The Christian Chronicle.
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