By Brandon HENSLEY

There is a saying that employees of Montrose Church have geared toward its own members, one in which might at first seem at odds with the Christian philosophy: “Are we so heavenly-minded that we are no earthly good?”

To sum up the thoughts of some in the church, it’s okay while you’re still on this earth to care about the immediate future.

And with that, Montrose Church will present for the second time a series aimed to help people in financial crisis, or just looking to better their economic situation.

Starting Feb. 2 at 7 p.m., the church will host a DVD series class, “Financial Peace University,” that will run every Thursday for 13 weeks. The class was created by Dave Ramsey. Ramsey is the author of the book “Financial Peace” and hosts a nationally syndicated radio show.

It’s Ramsey’s story of past failure-turned success story that has many churches hosting his DVD series class all around the nation, said Montrose groups pastor Cory Marquez.

“There’s probably a million churches that have had these classes,” he said.

Ramsey was making over $200,000 annually in his 20s, but was saddled with huge debt, and ultimately was able to turn his life around.

“He uses references to God in the Bible and things like that for sure,” said Marquez. “It’s about just being a good steward of what you have. It takes work and discipline just like anything does.”

Montrose Church hosted the same class last summer, and Marquez said many enjoyed it.

“[It was] pretty good, we got good feedback from it. Everyone I’ve ever heard who has done this class really enjoyed it,” he said.

Marquez said the goal for the class is to offer practical advice and wisdom.

“We think this is one of those practical ways to meet people’s needs in our communities and our neighborhoods. It’s a tough economy out there and people are strapped for cash and a lot of people need help economically.”

The idea to host it came from one of Montrose Church’s members, who suggested it after taking a class at another church. It seems appropriate to host the class now: with the New Year comes resolutions to lose weight, stop addictions such as smoking, and to fix money problems.

“It’s a practical way for people to hopefully get a hold of their finances,” Marquez said.

Childcare will be provided during the 13-week course. To register for the Financial Peace University class, go to www.montrosechurch.org. For information about the class itself and about Dave Ramsey, visit www.daveramsey.com.

  Brandon Hensley