From: David DOUGLAS ('62)

Sandstorm Extra that might be political

Re: Political ? Extra

Re: article - Free Lunch

I haven't had a problem with the political discussion, but I
think Maren has provided an excellent solution for those who do.
Thank you, Maren.

Some poor people come to churches seeking financial assistance.
Some even use this as their main source of income, making the
rounds of different churches. Sometimes these people are actually
scammers. I'm an ordained minister (although I never intended to
be a full-time pastor). Most churches have a benevolent fund. In
the New Testament, there are several references to benevolent
funds which were used to help destitute fellow Christians. One
church I was a member of voted to use the benevolent fund only
for persons outside the church; a special offering would be taken
for church members in need. I was the only one who voted against
it. Two weeks later the pastor asked the church to reverse that
decision; a member needed immediate help but the pastor had to
wait until the next Sunday to take a special offering.

My preference for a church pastor is to tell people who come
asking for help that the church does have a benevolent fund, but
it is only for church members. If they need assistance they
should go to their own church for help. If they say they belong
to a church but it doesn't have money to help them, I'd ask for
the name of the pastor and I would call him. I suspect at that
point the scammers would leave. If they say they don't belong to
a church and ask how to become a member of my church, I'd tell
them the first requirement is to be a Christian. If they say they
are, I'd ask them to tell me how one becomes a Christian. If 
they don't have an adequate answer, I'd give them my church's
definition. I'd also tell them that before they can become a
member of the church, a deacon will interview them, and if 
he's satisfied he'll recommend the person to the church for
membership. Then the congregation will vote on whether to accept
the recommendation. If the person is a scammer he'll probably
leave at that point since the process can take a week to a month.

The whole purpose of this is accountability. A person outside the
church has no accountability to the church for how they use any
assistance the church provides. Church members are accountable to
the church; if a person demonstrates they are "free-loading" it
can cut off assistance.

That's the problem with government welfare. No one holds people
on public assistance accountable for how they use that
assistance, and it is often abused.

-David DOUGLAS ('62) ~ Mesa, AZ  where it's bright and sunny 
      Christmas morning.
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