April 18, 2007
Really in Need
One time I was in the church office when a little girl came in with her mother and grandmother. The child, quite fashionable for a four-year old, was wearing trendy jeans and brand new Nike tennis shoes trimmed in pink. The mother, who didn’t attend our church, was asking for money to help pay her electric bill. At the time finances in my family were tight and my children were wearing off brand shoes, hand-me-down clothes and riding Christmas bicycles purchased at the Salvation Army. I don’t know the particulars of the mother’s situation or the outcome of her request, but I will tell you I didn’t have a Good Samaritan bone in my body. I know the standards for measuring ‘the poor’ have changed over the years, but it seemed to me then, as it does now, that wearing the coolest fashion of the day doesn’t qualify one as being ‘really in need’.
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2 comments:
Your blogs for the past few days have really caused me to wonder about your church. I know all churches have to not let people take advantage of them for handouts when the people are capable of providing for themselves. When we were members of a big church in the heart of down town Houston, I talked to one of the folks on staff & he told me that they had people come in every day with sad & imaginative stories. If I remember correctly, he said they did not give out money only vouchers where they could go to designate places & get meals or other places for clothes or groceries.
Ken,
There have been times when our church, like others in the community, used a voucher system for some benevolent situations. For us, church policies often change with leadership and I’m remiss in knowing about our current policy. I like that you point out there are always "sad and imaginative stories" - everyday.
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