Social Activity in a Time of Fear and Unrest
September 21, 2020
Every day we watch the news and see some of the many problems in Philadelphia.
There are many, many homeless people in our city, and also lots of hungry children. I
know that it’s easy to think that homelessness can be solved “if they would just get a
job”. However, that’s not always so easy. According to the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development, they estimate that there are 39,471 U.S. veterans who are
homeless on any given night. Many of these homeless veterans are living on the
streets of Philadelphia. These are men and women who served our country but for
some reason, no longer have access to affordable housing, or a livable income.
Turning a blind eye to the problem is not the answer. Thinking that someone else will
come along and take care of this problem is not the answer. The truth is, we all are
living in a time of uncertainty – pandemic, job lay-offs, businesses closing, price
gouging, rioting, some calling for defunding the police, and other unpleasant things that
we wish we did not have to think about.
However, we have been commanded by our Lord, Jesus Christ, to love each other as
God first loved us. So, what does this mean? We should give freely and cheerfully to
help others in their time of need.
I would like our church to have the ability to help others when they are down on their
luck. To do this, we need everyone who can, to give what they can.
Remember John Wesley’s creed: Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in
all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people
you can, as long as ever you can.
One of the ministries that we used to have available for the hungry was this: We
collected small amounts from those who could give, and we bought “gift” cards for
Shoprite so the pastor could hand them out to people in need. Sometimes, people are
just out of money until they reach their next paycheck. This ministry was very helpful for
the few people who used it.
I think this would be a start. I’m not asking you to give a mortgage payment to help
others, but, if you have an extra dollar or two, or three, please put it into an envelope
marked “for those in need” and put it in the offering plate on Sunday, or send it to our
address and we’ll know what to do with it. One hundred percent of this money will be
used for Shoprite gift cards for those currently down on their luck.
Please pray about this and if God puts this on your heart, you will know that you were
meant to participate.
May God bless you mightily! Pastor Deb