Laura Kind McKenna lives in Philadelphia, where she’s “trying to get bored and eat bonbons” in her retirement, she jokes. She lives with Marc, her husband of 47 years, and has four grown children and 11 grandkids scattered across the country.
She’s participating in the Sabbath Economics household covenant small group that began in January 2025, after learning about Faith and Money Network while attending a 2024 Kirkridge retreat on money. She also attended the 2024 Deep South Investors Tour. After transitioning from a first career as a certified nurse practitioner, she spent 18 years as the volunteer managing trustee of her family’s foundation before retiring in 2016. She volunteers weekly at a Catholic Worker free medical clinic and coordinates a food outreach center for her parish.
Here, Laura shares how she’s absorbing the concept of Sabbath Economics and implementing lifestyle changes along the way.
Which Sabbath Economics component appealed to you most, and why?
All of them together. This small group gives me a practical framework for all the things I’ve been studying and reading about. It basically tells me, “Here’s how to do it,” which is really helpful.
Marc and I have lived pretty frugally, but this group helps me think about how to make lifestyle changes. My husband is always worried that there’s not enough, and the readings that I’ve done in the covenant group have really opened my eyes to the scriptural basis of God’s sense of enough.
What goals did you set for your household after studying and discussing this component?
I set goals every week, and I’ve mostly broken them, but I try. One of the things I did best at was that I didn’t buy anything for a month — and then I extended that practice for all of Lent. Except for food (and even then, no prepared food), I didn’t buy anything.
I did very well on the concept of consuming less. I have increased my giving away and done some purging of clothing and household items. In terms of keeping the Sabbath, I’ve made some pretty good decisions around decreasing my screen time, especially time spent on Instagram out of habit.
What did you learn in your small group experience that surprised you?
I’ve been surprised and inspired by how much direct, clear direction on giving is in the Bible. It’s one thing to be generous with excess, but it’s being generous to the point that it hurts that really struck me as an idea to explore.
Anybody in North America already has so much privilege compared to anyone else in the world. I’ve been struck by the abundance that we all have.
How has your lifestyle changed since working toward your goals?
Participating in this covenant group has helped me to take concrete steps more seriously. The difference between giving away personal excess and giving away things that I truly like out of the framework of “radical generosity” is huge. It inspires me to keep thinking about the part of the equation that says nobody should have more than what they need.
How does your deep experience in organized philanthropy influence your Sabbath Economics studies?
For one, I don’t like the term philanthropist. Yes, despite having worked for many years at a philanthropic foundation! My understanding of radical generosity has been strengthened by participating in this covenant group, although I already had a role model in my parents, whose motto was, “Just write the check and get out of the way.” In my opinion, it is a problem when high-net worth individuals or foundations sit in a place of privilege and ration out small amounts of excess capital.
Is there anything else you’d like to share about the household practices small group experience?
Wholeheartedly, I would say once you commit to two hours once a month, you meet interesting people, the readings are thoughtful, and if you like learning about the world and these practices and strengthening your knowledge of how money affects you, it’s well worth the effort. Mike is great — once a week, he sends us all a podcast episode or two and a reading assignment, and it all really makes me think.
June 2025