Feeding the Poor

Feeding the Poor

I’m in the process of creating a photo album for our website of the recent trip made by students, chaplain and “interested parties” to Feed the Poor in one of our local suburbs.

And as good as that event may have been, it grates on me to have to:

1. Create a photo album of good works


2. See what is considered mission

What’s my problem with these?

Well, firstly – why put up photos of your good deeds?  Sure, I guess the students want to see themselves online and remember what happened, but it kinda feels like we’re looking down our nose at others – we’re better than them, and from the photos you can distinguish “the poor” from “the givers”, all too clearly.

And secondly, what gives us the right to make a foray into an unknown area, judge who is poor and who is not, and then give out food – only to retreat to the safety of our security-gate guarded campus again?  We don’t live next to these folk, we don’t know them, we don’t understand them or get to learn their REAL needs – and we won’t ever see them again, most likely.

But this is the way of many church groups.  They’re happy within their walls each week, venturing out now and then to “make a difference” – i.e. give of cash or goods or food or time.  Then they go back to their impenetrable huddle again.  Geez…

Not that there’s anything necessarily “wrong” with what they do.  Much evangelism and social service is done like this, the world over.  It’s an accepted method of doing good, after all!

But wouldn’t it be so much better if, instead of maintaining a building and cars and programmes and ministries, all that cash, effort and passion went into getting down and dirty with the neighbours they don’t see – the beggar they ignore on the street corner, the struggling single mom who prays her car here and there every day (and will never be able to completely fix or replace it – no, not me, but I have a friend like this), the friend who struggles with addictions which no-one mentions (politely), the families at the Hospice or the abused children at the shelter.  What if we lived next to these people, shared who we are and what we’re blessed with instead of making them a “special project”?  What if our giving was constant and open-handed and trusting of God to provide our needs if we give for the needs of others?  What if we actually lived the principles we talk about and became servants of the lowest?

That’s why getting this photo album online today is grating on my soul.  It’s so “artificial” an effort.  It may have provided a single meal for some – but what of the day-to-day life they’re still left with?  Why should we boast when in essence we haven’t made an ounce of difference…?

::update::
And then I received this email from another local church:

This is to remind you that the evangelist, John McGregor from Canada, will be ministering in both our morning and evening services on Sunday, 28th August.  We encourage you all to join us and invite your friends to these outreach services.  Also please be in prayer for John and that many would come to Christ on that Sunday.

Here’s an idea – let’s rather take Christ to them!  Oh, never mind – no one’s listening anyway.