reekie

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I would like to hear some opinions on charity.
I have a great deal of experience in the operation of it as regards refugees, poor, etc. in the Far East.
However, I come home to a church that sends hundreds and hundreds of pounds to Africa and Asia, India in particular.
Yet there are poverty stricken members of the church who are ignored completely and not even offered any assistance and are greeted with an embarrased silence when they ask for some.
Personally, having seen much of what is sent abroad either wasted or stolen I feel every church should draw up a roll of the old, poor and needy in their own congregation.
What else are churches for?
Old member have special needs such as a group of younger members turning up to tidy up their garden, cut the grass, etc.
Financially most would be independant if granted the price of a good car when other wealthy members of the church are renewing their's every year or so.
They usually own the equipment such as lawnmowers, but are prevented from using them through afflictions such as athritis, etc.
Or simply old age.
Recovering the roofs of their garden sheds blown off in gales.Repainting the sheds are other difficult and far too expensive tasks for an elderly person to call in a professional.
Young people especially simply cannot understand how much the world has changed since the 1920's in so many ways. Accelerated by World War II by scientific research and now they are facing having everyday objects such as Radio and TV becoming useless simply because a government decides to change over to a completely different system of broadcasting.
They just can't afford the new equipment. Should they suffer simply because they are old?
There has always been poor but it is undisputed fact that the gap between the rich and poor is rapidly increasing and is far greater than two hundred years ago. All will have to give account to God for that one day.
The "Make Poverty History" is almost laughable as invariably both pop stars and politicians head to some place overseas when the poor are on their own doorstep.
Your opinions are looked forward to with great interest.
God bless you all.
reekie

smellycat

i totally agree with you.maybe a split would be better.

violet

NoDoubt

I don't know why there is such a wide spread pattern of "far-sighted" outreach. I was just thinking today at church, as the lead pastor was calling people to give a "radical minimum 10%" to the church, and talking about all these expenses and what not. 3/4 million dollars a year to operate a church? 5000 a month to rent a worship center? Elaborate brochures and welcome packages, and expensive looking everything...

I don't give to churches or organizations. Too much money is wasted. I give to those who ask because THEY need it. Why let the money flow throw 10 other hands until only 15 cents of your dollar is actually helping someone who needs it? Why pay accountants and book keepers to track all this money when it could be used so much more effectively by going directly from the giver to the needy?

I also dispute the "10%" concept on a Biblical basis... I'll have to find the scriptural basis for my beliefs here soon, but I have quite a different view on tithe than the average pastor would like.

The church is the people! Not the building and fancy presentation, thereof! I think churches in third-world countries are MORE successful than in the US. If ONE of those desperate chinese house churches got ahold of 25% of a single small US churches "operating cost", I'll bet that chinese church could do so many wonderful things with it.

I don't like where big US churches are going these days...

JesusReignsForever

Helping the less fortunate or elderly. Voluteering...soup kitches..maybe even praying for someone else.

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JesusReignsForever

The church is for sin sick people not just to had out cash to "needy" people. Nowadays people have more tricks young and old... I dont agree with giving out money to just anyone...how about giving people food and clothing not just money..

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violet

PreachingTruth

Considering others before yourself.

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Distant Warrior

That's why I appreciate and support the church I grew up in. They are out there daily practicing what they preach. No fancy churches or brochures, just a lot of help where it's needed, at home and abroad.

I agree in the concept of helping other nations, but our back yards are messy too.

My father in law (now deceased) went to his Church for some food money at a time when he was down on his luck. He had been attending and Tithing (in his case - 10%) every cheque for over 20 years. He was told there was no money for that, and they recommended he try the local food bank.

They sure had a nice Church though.

I think that Charity should start at home. It wouldn't take much to clean our own back yard, then we can help the neighbors.


DW

reekie

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I really do seem to have put the cat among the pigeons as they say in "Old Blighty"
Violet, you are close to my heart, the amount of posts I have written, some several hundred words long, that have suddenly vanished in front of my eyes cannot be counted. I thought it was only because I am an old man and nor totally familiar with Computers.
Sometimes the post suddenly turned up days or weeks later as I was scanning through a forum.
I wholehearted ly agree with what you and "No Doubt" and the others have said.
It was whilst I was watching a religious programme on T.V. that I first heard, in that beautiful lilt the Welsh have in their voices, that "The Chapel is not the building. It is the people inside." We had a visitor from our childhood pop in last night - from Wales - he and his wife and family have all settled down in a lovely tiny Welsh village.
Just as in our childhood in Peterhead, when all the churches cooperated he was telling us that it is alive and well in that village. Praise the Lord, I say.
Circa 1950 we had a sort of committee of churches including the Roman Catholic Church, i.e. Congregational, Methodist, Church of Scotland ( I am not too sure about the Salvation Army but anyway we ALL went to it after our own church service. Likewise, the Royal National Mission For Deepsea Fisherman, was a universal meeting place for all and sundry and many a married couple met for the first ime there even though they belonged to different denominations.
Many considered "The Mission" to BE THEIR CHURCH.
Even today many are buried by the mission supernintendent. At their own request.
Our own Minister was the Secretary and the Catholic Priest was the Treasurer, of that association of local churches and all benefitted from it.
Tragically they all seem to be drifting apart nowadays.
Our friend told us ther were only abou twenty members in his church which met in a small hall.
But, from what he said, they are very active in "Spreading THE WORD of THE LORD" and, like us, he was very sad at the state his childhood church had ended up in.
Who spoke about food?
All those years ago one man was usually appointed to take care of the old and infirm. A weeks supply of groceries here and a few bags of coal there.
They all knew each other so well from childhood they KNEW what was wanted or needed most. Some received a regular small sum of money to eke out their pension - if they had one.
That has all been stopped.
I was five months out of work in Hong Kong between leaving ships to entry into a power company. I ran short of money - it IS an expensive place - and quitely approached the Southern Baptist Pastor and asked if I could get a loan from the church I had assisted him in creating. I got much the same reply as Distant Warrior's poor father got.
Out of the blue, a six foot plus Chinese friend who had been mate on a ship with me, came to our house and simply said, "My godmother was saying that times must be hard for both of you. Would you like a HK$3,000.00 loan?"
My wife and I looked at each other flabbergasted. We had never even seen the woman.
The friend was a third generation Methodist from northern China - six foot plus in hieght! - WHO said that the Chinese are all small????
Anyway, with grateful prayers of thanks we accepted the offer which was passed to us with no fuss or I.O.U.????? over a cup of green tea in his godmother's house.
Shortly afterwards I received a telephone call asking me if I would like a position in the power company just as I had approached my old shipping company to ask for my job back.
All other appications for jobs in Hong Kong had failed.
Thankyou all for your various contributions and it is not boastful to say that I am glad to find that my thoughts are so widely believed by others in various nations.
One question. How do I print out one post. The last time I tried it I had six pages of A4 pouring out of the printer.
God Bless you all.
reekie.