This essay is going to be a bit jarring for some of you.
There are a lot of things we do at churches that would be foreign to the church Jesus started:
- Youth Groups
- Choirs and Bell Choirs
- Men’s Ministry
- Receptionists and Offices
- Robes and Liturgy
- Ordination
- Christian Counseling
- Christian Schools
- Cantatas
- Full-time Ministry People
Now please hear me; all of these things can be good things. They’re just not essential to what church is, or Jesus would have at least mentioned that we might try them.
The problem is, glance at that list again and you’ll see that these “markers” have become the very distinctives of church life. We assume that church is about doing them and promoting them.
So here’s a question: Does Jesus want our churches to have food banks?
It seems assumed by all, that charity work is the essential work of the church. But is that true?
Now, before you think that I’m some kind of anti-poor-people wingnut, let me go on record by saying that I believe that it is the responsibility of any society to feed its:
- Widows and Orphans
- Disabled Veterans
I would add children to that list, since children are poor through no fault of their own.
I would also add that there are times of famine throughout the world, and that the Christians have been and should be at the point of the spear in responding. The Apostle Paul gathered an offering for the upcoming famine in Jerusalem.
Able bodied men (and women) should be working. And families should be the first line of defense. Solve the family problem and you solve the hunger problem. Divorce shreds the fabric of extended families and real people fall through the cracks.
It seems obvious to me, also, that most of the panhandlers in our midst (at least in the US) are mentally ill. We used to institutionalize them. I still think we should. For their own good, and out of love for our neighbors who can’t make their own good decisions.
I think it’d be a great idea for you to have a food bank at your church, especially if you feel led by the Lord to do so. We don’t have one. Not out of principle, but because we don’t feel led by God to do so, at least at this point. We work hard to empower single women who were considering abortions, usually because of poverty, to make a path toward sustainable life:
http://hisnestingplace.org
It’s what we feel called to do and we hope it’s helping.
The truth is, however, that much charity work (giving a man a fish) actually reinforces poverty, rather than teaching a man to fish. Giving to a panhandler (which I sometimes do and can’t explain why) rewards begging. And we all know that begging and more giving to beggars is not the answer to the problem of poverty, so why reinforce it?
I am struck and saddened by the level of obesity of those waiting in food lines in the USA. Many going back home to cable TV. Many of whom smoke while in line. There is a food bank across the street from my house, behind the library, and a bus stop just feet from my door. Much food gets left behind at the bus stop (stuff they decided not to keep). More than you think, as you picture it.
Let’s discuss, as responses to this essay, ways to end poverty. I believe that it is possible. Jesus said “the poor will always be with you,” but not that the poor would always be with us, 20 centuries later. There has been much progress against poverty in my lifetime. Breathtaking progress, to speak the truth.
But it doesn’t come through:
- Wealth redistribution (left wing answer). It ends up being forced, and then fails.
- Rugged individualism (right wing answer). The strong just get stronger and the weak can’t keep up.
It comes through great creativity, the Spirit of God, and relational solutions.
The truth is, poverty is a curse. And people need to be taught out of it. Here are some suggestions, meant to help. Some may work. Some maybe not.
- Teaching children out of poverty mentality and into abundance mentality. Not reinforcing victim mentality. In schools and in churches.
- Providing better public transportation so those who can’t afford cars can get to work.
- Making it harder to get divorced. Divorce compounds poverty. Encouraging people to have babies IN marriages. Not just in church, but in all of our schools.
- Abolishing welfare “as a way of life” for able bodied adults.
- Strengthening extended families and teaching them to care for the “least of these” in their midst.
- Trying to focus your help on those with whom you are willing to go the distance (e.g. the Good Samaritan). You can’t do this with everyone. Quality of aid over quantity.
- Re-establishing public healthy living communities for the mentally ill. Homelessness is expensive! In Canada, it costs $110,000 per year per person (money spent on homeless divided by number of homeless) to care for these people (homeless) who are moving targets. Not sure what the American number is, but it can’t be too different.
- Stop selling lottery tickets, 40 oz beers, etc. in underclass neighborhoods. Redline them if you have to.
- Re-establishing Christian mutual aid (common in NT times). Church members would receive from the offerings when there was need. This kept the giving relational. The Mormons are the only ones still doing it well.
- Incentivize entrepreneurial immigrants (e.g. South Asians) to settle in underclass neighborhoods. This may have done more to help blighted US neighborhood economic development than anything else.
There is great reason for optimism. Poverty is much less a curse than it was a couple of generations ago.
What are some of your ideas?
If you have a food bank, great. But let’s think beyond the foodbank.
Waiting to hear from you…
40 comments
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December 17, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Angie Shannon
First of all, I believe able bodied folks should work. There is dignity in it. I grew up in a household that often paraphrased the Bible–”those who won’t work shouldn’t eat or a man who won’t take care of his family is worse than an infidel.” With that said, poverty eradication is difficult but involves eradicating “isms”–racism, classism and sexism at every level. I agree with you in that there must be a middle way.
However, some of your observations are simply off. I run a ministry that has a food pantry, so I will share some of my observations. True, some of the people that frequent are food pantry are obese. But in that neighborhood is a massive food desert with no access to healthful food. The corner stores run by “entreprenuerial immigrants” enter these neighborhoods sell liquor, gas and sub-standard food which contributes to obesity. Its a vicious cycle.
It is a shame, that some people dispose of the food given to them. But I have also seen recipients sort the food and GIVE that which they won’t back to the pantry for someone else.
Anyway, on to solutions: We have an urban gardening program. We also teach job readiness.
I also believe that we must teach against a victim mentality but we must also stand up to structures that victimize people.
Just a few nascent thoughts in response. Always open to discussion.
December 17, 2010 at 6:58 pm
David Housholder
Say more about urban gardening. It’s actually a big piece of the “local food” solution.
December 17, 2010 at 7:26 pm
Patti G
I love the deep and profound thoughts, mine are simpler. I love the garden idea….it is like teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish. There are community gardens, I’ve seen them around. I think our churches maybe could share some of their land to have a garden and for those who assist with it, are given food from it (and maybe some cooking or health tips). If we give seeds and show them how to plant and grow food while planting some spiritual seeds, maybe from it, could grow a beautiful new tree of life.
December 18, 2010 at 6:58 am
Jacob Andrews
And here’s another great idea (that isn’t mine): rooftop gardens. A friend of mine is trying to promote them here in Chicago, where most churches, even if they own their own building, haven’t got any free land to use as a garden. But there’s a lot of condos and apartments that are sturdy enough to support a pretty extensive garden up top. You can keep bees there, too, without bothering anyone much. It’s a lot of fun. How to incorporate that with a church program I don’t know, but I’m sure someone smarter than me could figure it out
December 18, 2010 at 11:00 am
Wendy Housholder
One of the problems is that good-for-you food (i.e. fruits and vegetables and dairy) is prohibitively expensive for those on food stamps or welfare. Doritos and sodas cost a whole lot less than apples, bread, and milk. As long as unhealthy food remains cheap and healthy food remains expensive, the poor will buy what they can afford, and will be obese, but not because they are eating protein, dairy, and fruits and veggies, but because the crappy food they can afford makes them gain weight. That then leads to medical problems, and the problems spiral from there….
August 7, 2012 at 8:53 am
Vicki
eating healthy can be inexpensive also if you learn how to cook home cooked meals from scratch and not out of a box mix and pre-made junk. My family of 3 lives on a food budget of approx $30-35 a week and we eat healthy. I cook from scratch and we don’t starve either. As for feeding the hungry from food banks, I feel that there should be another step to the problem solving. Teach them how to cook on a tight budget and cook healthy. give cooking lessons to them, and if they do not come to the classes, then they cannot use the food bank. If they don’t want to help themselves, then don’t help them.
December 17, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Patti G
Hello David….from beautiful cold Minnesota!
I agree and appreciate all the suggestions you made. I believe there are many people who are deserving of assistance for awhile but many who do so because they can. I think another creative idea is that in order for people to receive any kind of assistance, welfare, food or food vouchers, the Church, State, County or service providing the aid should require they attend some education classes as you shared in your suggestions above or others depending on their situations prior to them being able to receive the assistance. I think this education requirement would help eliminate those who take advantage of the system even though they may not need it because as you state, are able bodies to work. For those who desire to have a changed life, they would be given the knowledge and tools that would assist and enrich their lives enough to promote change and possibly eliminate their dependence on the system completely…. but they have to first learn that it is possible and for many, that is a concept many don’t even understand.
I believe this service could start at a church serving the local community (which I think we often forget to take care of those in our own backyards) and once it is shown to be successful, which of course, God would bless and it would be successful, create a larger scale plan and present it at the State and Federal levels. I’d be happy to talk with the local representatives to see what it would take to come alongside our State to implement such a program. I’m not sure how far I would get, but I could give it a “working for our Lord” try!
In thinking, Hosanna here in Minnesota would be a great place to start such a food shelf and education program. Just as we have our Care Ministries and Celebrate Recovery where people receive assistance (food/clothing/household items and with the clothing/household items, the weekly donations are sometimes more than we can take in) and classes are “encouraged”, they are not really required so many don’t receive the blessings of knowledge that could empower them. So, they have “used” the system. There are so many people in need, especially with our economy and people out of work and unemployment having run out, need help. I am sure there are many local Christian business and supporters who would support such a program and assist in getting the word out. I know of one Christian store/ministry that hands out food now weekly with no requirement and it is all donated to them by local companies. They are blessed to be a blessing. Without education, knowledge and a desire to learn and grow, for now, the cycle only continues.
December 17, 2010 at 6:58 pm
Bud Potter
There are many times as I think of the time spent in the village in Kenya and watch the people and the cultural issues which they MUST overcome, not all traditions are harmful but some are entrenched or maybe necessary for their particular difficulty to continue, I watch and there is so much that is similar to what we experience here. Someone asked me why I think I need to go to Kenya when there are plenty of needy here, good question. I see the activity in Kenya not as feeding the poor or needy or providing some kind of aide as has been, it seems to me, the focus of assistance. Rather the issue in heart is one of coming alongside a group of people who recognize the responsibility to learn how to be their own solution and are willing to take the hard and difficult road to overcome. what ever the particular obstacle.
Without a doubt the cycle of illiteracy and poverty is the single most challenging objective to overcome, followed closely by the necessity to create an economy. Education is the key and the issues to overcome in Kenya include the passivity of the older generation towards educating their young and improving the incredibly inept educational infrastructure available to the rural poor. When we speak of the South Asian impact on some of our local communities, regardless of its history, you can not ignore the Asian family focus on education as an even greater affect than entrepreneurial desires, well maybe you can debate this chicken and egg relationship.
The greatest reason for us to continue our efforts to support the work of the local leadership in Kenya is because they see the community as the potential for the solution. Woven in this path is individual responsibility to participate, work is required. They do not look to the government and they understand that the European and American church, while helpful, has not taught them how or required them to be, self sustaining. Over generalized maybe, but until a people want to change their cultural identity and therefor challenge and overcome their “comfort zone” of ideas, they are tethered to the manner in which the problem has always occurred, this goes for the church as well possibly to an even greater extent.
How do we overcome poverty, I think we don’t, but the real question might be, how do we overcome a current cultural lack of character which seems to have been integral for a first century church culture as displayed by Jesus and the early church.
Redemption and the personal Call of the Redeemer to everyone who claims to carry His name is the context of the solution, teaching the citizens of the Holy Kingdom to lay aside their comfort and step into the unknown is the path. Comfort is the disease, the symptoms may be divorce, lack of education, encouraging poverty through handouts (by the way I find myself as well hearing “give” in some cases and I do), panhandling, free food or taking every step to secure my future at any cost. The great American dream is a lie, if it does not include the risk inherent in following the one who is notoriously unpredictable, the Lord Jesus Christ, and risking the safety net we have so diligently built on the still silent voice of the One who we can not see.
I think to see our projects as solutions is a mistake, they are bandages, the best our humanity can do is cover the wound, the cure for the disease is supernatural and lies hidden in each single relationship of one with the Creator through Christ Jesus. This may sound simplistic, but it is, I think, foundational. Total trust in the one who says GO, just do it
I think it was Ghandi who said something along the lines of . . .if Christians acted as they say they believe they would change the world.
Going, abandoned to our own welfare, we are more than conquerors; now if He says build a food bank, build one greater than you can think or imagine, beyond your dreams!
December 17, 2010 at 11:12 pm
David Lund
1) In Jesus’ time and place, the group/party who would run food banks would be the Pharisees. (And they would talk about it and pat themselves on the back.) He tended not to be real approving of them.
2) My elders taught me that the first and most basic step in fighting poverty is to always make sure that you and your family are not poor.
Those who can’t do this (the ill) need to be cared for by the community– provided shelter, safety, food and treatment where possible. A pox on those who, in the name of civil rights, want the ill to continue to live outdoors, do alcohol and drugs, and be endangered by urban violence and crime. Churches should argue for state hospitals, or if they have the money, build places of refuge. To know what a homeless person is capable of requires first that they have a place of safety, warmth, restful sleep and decent food.
3) The whole unspoken communication of a food bank is, we are the non-poor and those who are poor can depend on us for a temporary solution. Those who can depend on us become those who are dependent on us. I love the garden idea– help the currently poor become independent of us. So they can become the formerly poor, rather than the chronically, perpetually, dependent poor.
December 18, 2010 at 5:47 am
Ron Amundson
Its interesting that 100+ years ago, churches built hospitals and schools. Today, they sell hospitals, healthcare facilities, and schools their ancestors worked so diligently for, and use the proceeds to keep their doors open. In other cases, churches rather than building hospitals, build mega buildings and huge staffs… and tell the poor, sick, and homeless to go to the government, all the while complaining about taxes.
Its not that their is not enough food, wealth, shelter, etc in the world, its the priorities and distribution systems that are the problem.
December 18, 2010 at 7:20 am
Fritz Trost
Maybe you are starting a conversation rather than speaking in breadth?
poverty… It has been said that “you will always have the poor with you”. Does that mean that we should become passive? No, but we can start by admitting that we are trying to solve a problem we don’t have the ability to solve.
Maybe that is the real issue–thinking that we can “solve” a problem that has been around for the history of the world.
The root problem of poverty is Sin–both on the distribution side and the hopeless side of giving up.
The healthiest approach to addressing the problem poverty is the use of paradox. Paradox is holding in tension mutually exclusive ideas. …and being OK with it.
Last weekend I read a profound poem scrawled on the side of a shantie build on the banks of the Des Moines river. It said: “My heart is sick and sad, from where the sun now stands, I will fight no more”. That says a lot. The individual who wrote that poem and built that shantie is an incredible gift to the world. Some where in their life —Sin tipped the scales and the result is a descent into desperation. We need to seek and work with the LORD to save the lost. And remember we are lost too:)
We must work and make our goal to abolish poverty but at the same time keep in mind that it won’t be abolished. Until the LORD comes.
The Left can learn from the Right.
Many homeless folks are indeed mentally ill. But how many are also in need of Spiritual Deliverance???? Most I think. We are Mind, Body, Spirit. Life in the gutter is just an honest reflection of the dissonance in our mind,body,spirit. Those of us in the upper classes are able to hide our dissonance quite well.
And Freedom is also important. Some choose to live in “homeless” modalities. That is Ok , I think. Some are asking for help and we should extend that help. But we should be able to allow the freedom to live “free” as well.
We work and assist the poor in the name of the LORD and with God’s assistance. That needs to be primary. I see a whole lot of striving on our own (as opposed to John 15) strength.
Much of the work in poverty solving is cathartic guilt work. Do we really care? Or would we just like to “fix” em?
That is what i read more or less above— i see a collection of ideas to “fix” the problem (s).
Maybe a better approach would be to go in with our eyes wide open and build relationships and see where the healing needs to come. We will be blessed in the process!
Do you want to be blessed? Do you want to see God??? Read MAtthew 25 and go build a relationship with a poor person. That is what the LORD wants. He is sick of our programs and disinfected, hands off, self-righteous, fix it schemes.
Come Lord Jesus….. We are in Advent for you… Amen,
December 18, 2010 at 8:25 am
Terry Branham
Great topic, but I believe the church that is reaching out to people by serving people we are doing the work Jesus word encourages us to do and more importantly it reflects the goodness of the specific Church and Christians who are doing this kind of work. We need to reach outside the ‘simple church’ idea to not come across as being isolated and people thinking ill of we christians because we are not demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ. There are enough ‘denominations’ that segregate within their members and give Christianity and bad name and people then judge Christians by those events.
December 18, 2010 at 8:39 am
Stan
Should we have water fountains in church or should we be teaching people how to dig wells and desalinate the oceans? I don’t find this “teach a man to fish” story particularly Biblical.
December 18, 2010 at 9:04 am
David Housholder
There is much about church (see my list) that is nowhere in the Bible.
And God commands us to be fruitful and multiply. Over and over. And not to be “takers” and dependent on a long term basis. Note the parable of the talents. Those who didn’t make a profit were….well….
January 7, 2011 at 8:00 pm
Ron Amundson
Vast quantities of those with homes, jobs, and money are takers and dependent on a long term basis, some on the government (energy and farm subsidies, and no to little accountability for cost overruns on defense and other projects). Realistically, only a small number of people really make a profit if one takes a hard stance on the parable of the talents. Its likely they work hard for their paycheck… but that work, if it were not subsidized would not exist. Is the fellow whose paycheck depends on the success of a lobbyist really all that different than the homeless person?
I’m not saying everyone should go out and become CEO of me, inc… where every decision affects their bottom line, but that big picture wise, really how different are we?
December 20, 2010 at 8:24 am
Susan
Notice, though, that Jesus also said that if someone asks for your shirt you should give him your cloak and if someone asks you for something, not to refuse him. I think we need a healthy mix of problem-solving where we can, getting into relationships with people who are in different circumstances and learning from them (and perhaps becoming part of their safety net) and sometimes just giving, whether or not the other is “deserving.” I become particularly irritated when I hear Christians delineating the reasons not to give (especially when they reference welfare dependency, as though welfare hadn’t become ‘workfare’ a decade and a half ago! these days, it’s more like SSDI dependency, and that has to do with a whole raft of mental health issues). Most of the time, the Christians I hear talking like that are really just asking “who is NOT my neighbor?” Jesus answer, instead, was pretty simple – our neighbor is the one we can have mercy on. And that also assumes that we may one day become one on whom someone else has mercy. (Why is it, by the way, that so many middle-class Christians seems to assume that they will never be in need? Many of us are a couple of paychecks, or a failure of an insurance company or mutual fund, away from destitution. “those people” might well be “us.”)
December 18, 2010 at 8:49 am
Lindsey Trego
I see the homeless everyday in my office as they come in to get food from the food bank. I am often extremely discouraged because there really is no easy way to help these people. Some don’t want help, they find it easier to let themselves be taken care of by the small amount of government asisstance that they can get as well as food and clothing donations from local churches.
I agree with a lot of the suggestions to combat poverty. Being someone who is passionate and feels called to minister to college age kids/young adults, I think a good starting point would be to sit down and discuss some of these issues with this age group. Being able to impact the thoughts and values of young adults within your community can have a huge impact on the way they think and their values which will in turn have an impact on our future society. We do it at Robinwood, and let me tell you, we have some of the finest, smartest young adults you will find anywhere!
December 18, 2010 at 9:07 am
David Housholder
Helping people is hard.
December 18, 2010 at 9:19 am
Kati
I agree with everything you said. But what if you thought of a food bank as a means of grace, because even if there is a more excellent way to end poverty, it often takes time to walk out of a curse such as poverty. It’s not just about the food. Sometimes people need to be babied for a while. Coming out of any curse is a process. Extending some grace is the most powerful thing we can do.
December 20, 2010 at 8:25 am
Susan
Amen, Kati!
December 18, 2010 at 10:56 am
Kim Olstad
Perhaps a little too broadbrush
(I wonder how much time you’ve spent with those who are homeless to hear their story?)
Answers are rarely uncomplicated because the problems themselves are deeply complicated — but I especially like your statement that our churches ought to respond to our communities as we are called.
Amen to that.
I just more often see your first list flowing from our churches.
Jesus may not have run a food shelf but he most certainly fed crowds. No choir documented by scripture, but likely the Jewish ballads and psalms poured out on those long walks. What he really DID — was stay in tune with the will of the Father. That was His work AND is ours.
December 18, 2010 at 12:03 pm
David Housholder
Have actually spent up to three days and nights on the streets with homeless with no cell, no money, and no “middle class” break. Slept in shelters and ate with them as one of them. Anyone else here done that?
December 19, 2010 at 12:12 am
Barbara Meinke
“Anyone else here done that?” You know I love you but that sounds just a little bit bratty. I have spent 50 + hours a week for 2 years working with the homeless. While many of your observations are accurate I find some of them to be less than compassionate. One cannot simply decide to pull themselves up by their bootstraps and beat homelessness.
Yes, there is mental illness. Current research suggests that most mental illness is the result of addiction which is even more rampant. Most homeless individuals have a dual diagnosis. Deal with the addictions and the mental illness becomes much easier to manage. When I see an obese homeless person I am partially relieved because it probably means that they are not strung out on meth.
Transitional housing programs which include counseling, recovery, education, and accountability training have some success. The problem of homelessness, however, really cannot be overcome alone. The only success stories I have seen are results of giving it all to the Lord. When the Holy Spirit starts working in someone then everything is possible.
So to answer your question, meet them where they are at, and show them the Lord. We cannot judge them by our own standards. We need to go to them and love them even when they turn away. Sometimes the love must be “tough” but we need to keep loving them.
And, YES, I believe that jesus would feed them.
December 19, 2010 at 6:46 am
David Housholder
I was just responding to a bit of a bratty comment suggesting I was in an ivory tower.
I agree on the centrality of compassion. But there is compassion which transforms and compassion that reinforces the problem. Compassion which reinforces is often not compassion at all, but rather ego-stroking on the part of the “helper.”
And Jesus would feed them. “You give them something to eat.” Why have we lost touch with the miraculous?
December 19, 2010 at 12:27 am
Saint Rodney
How about people receiving government aid must first work 40 hours a week for the government. This could be done in a variety of ways; patching potholes, helping build and maintain parks, count voting ballots, clerical work, cleaning public facilities, painting, teaching in government run schools, plowing roads and shoveling sidewalks, building section 8 homes and apartment buildings, or even cooking & delivering food in which they and others will eat. This can not only help teach skills but also result in an earned wage. This would eliminate a lot of the pride issues of getting a free handout, as well as not allowing freeloaders. It would help build up & beautifully communities, instead of tearing them down and vandalizing them. I think that if we had all the people who do not have a job on a program like this, and all of the people with jobs funding it, there would be a striking resemblance to the church in Acts…………….Just a thought, or at least the beginning of an idea.
December 20, 2010 at 8:16 am
Pete Seidel
Once upon a time in the 1970′s there was a city manager of the city of Newburgh, New York whose name was Mitchell. He instituted just such a program and it was called “Workfare.” In order to qualify to receive a welfare check you had to do public service work for the City of Newburgh. His program lasted less than six month and his career ended with his program.
I would support any politician, regardless of party, who could convince me that he/she had a plan to get people off welfare and into productive jobs; a plan to empty out section 8 housing and get people earning so that they could afford thier own homes. The social programs should be a temporary measure to help people bootstrap themselves out of a hard time. They should not become a multi-generational way of life.
I seriously doubt that any liberal or progressive politician would support such an effort for a simple and basic reason. The people in these programs are known as “zero liability voters.” The represent a constituancy that they don’t have to work to keep. Just keep providing them with benefits and they will not vote for any candidate that will shrink or end those benefits.
We, as christians, can do much to alleviate social suffering. However, we must be mindful that the basic political infrastructure is working against us.
December 20, 2010 at 8:33 am
Susan
But, people who ARE working can’t afford housing in many places! There are five unemployed people, currently, for every available job. We are right now in the midst of creating an enormous group of older unemployed people who will probably never again have a job (through no fault of theirs!) and yet are too young for the current eligibility for Social Security and will probably see the eligibility age raised on them while they are trying to get there. They were people who DID put away money, but saw their 401Ks get shrunk through the fiscal crisis. This whole thread has a tendency to drip superiority. The Lord would have touched, healed and fed – as well as challenged. There is room for challenge and for innovative ideas, but there is always going to be an enormous need for grace and mercy – handouts that say ‘you’re valuable’ before you do anything. Of course we are, in the next breath, going to have to fend off opportunists who want to get what they can get – but I am convinced that Jesus would rather we err in giving too much grace than too little.
December 19, 2010 at 9:49 am
Allen
Jesus was always on the move. It isn’t clear what Jesus would do in a situation where he was in authority in one place as many seasons passed.
Jesus planted seeds of wisdom and moved on, leaving it up to the people who heard him to nurture the seeds as best they could,
Your observations question what is the best use of the seeds that get planted on a daily basis. When times are good, people have the patience to nurture the seeds into a strong crop. When times are not, people want to take short cuts and are willing to have a harvest that barely covers their short term needs and ignores the long term needs.
Thus, the root question are, “Are churches doing God’s work by enablings people to take short cuts in life?” and “Is it the churches responsibility to step in when the long term nurturing doesn’t appear to be working?” I believe that people question their own Faith when times are ‘bad’ and feel compelled to step in for God and solve problems on an individual basis; it’s during these times that good intentions grow virally into weeds that are out of control.
God programmed people to solve problems. People feel more empowered when their Faith is strong. In times of trouble, People need to ask themselves, “Would I embark on this path when times are ‘good’?” If the answer is ‘No’ then the solution under consideration needs to be put away.
December 20, 2010 at 9:46 am
Jolene Anderson
Jesus was the “Master Teacher”. He would have taught people how to get out of poverty through hard work & good self esteem. Poverty should be an event not a process. Our circumstances dictate to a certain degree our avenues in life. There are always choices. I was a single mom just divorced with only a high school education in small town America. My family has an outstanding work ethic. Charity was not my cup of tea. I qualified for rehabilitation since a single mom was considered “handicapped.” I swallowed my pride & took the rehab to help pay for nursing school & childcare while I was in school. After the initial 6 mo. requirement that we could not work & do classroom, I started back to work along with school. 32 yrs. of O.R. nursing later, I can say the system worked. I used it to help me get the proverbial “leg up” & never looked back. Why the system worked was because my good self esteem & upbringing. Hard work & desire to improve my situation propelled me. What I’m saying here is that charity is great for the leg up but not for a way of life which is exactly what many welfare families think it is…hence generations on a charity system. Pride and self esteem has taken a backseat to laziness & entitlement. Knowing how hard I’ve worked all my life (since 9yrs. old washing dishes in my aunt’s cafe) it infuriates me with all the charity that is going down an abyss. Teaching should be required to receive. I don’t necessarily mean college or anything like that but the consensus that the food bank or helping hand is a way of life is wrong. Opening other avenues to improve their life is essential. Education must start @ home @ an early age to break the “entitlement cycle.” We have proven time & again that the largest food bank in the world, our Welfare Food Stamp program doesn’t work except to teach an undesirable way of life & eventually help break our country. What would be wrong with requiring some community service in return for repeated charity handouts (for those physically capable)? Maybe just maybe if a few of these people (some cannot help it) had to work even a little for the help they received it would stimulate them to work harder for more out of life. I think Jesus would assist in the moment then teach for the future.
December 20, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Sarah
I just responded to your blog post on our facebook site:
http://www.facebook.com/breadfortheworld#!/breadfortheworld?v=wall
but I thought I would add a personal note as well: I used to work for a multi-church supported food pantry and just wanted to share a few thoughts that may be pertinent:
Most of the folks that came to our pantry (supported by the city and local churches) were obese. This surprised me at first but then I realized people can still be malnourished and obese – our pantry gave out shelf-stable, high salt, high fat, highly processed foods more than anything else in addition to free day-old pastries.
It’s no mystery that these foods are both cheap and filling (and full of calories), but they are often not nourishing. We, as the food pantry, were contributing to the problem of a high calorie, nutrient deficient diet. (Check out our breadblog.org for more information on obesity and malnutrition.)
To begin responding to the problem we created a community garden – it was both therapeutic and a source for fresh veggies. Not a solution, but a step in the right direction.
We also had people who would refuse food or throw it out as soon as they left – in one sense it seems unbelievable. I know every place is different, but once we started asking folks why this was happening we got a lot of reasonable responses:
- people felt obligated (didn’t want to seem ungrateful) to take the pre-packaged bag but could only eat part because of dietary/health restrictions
- people literally couldn’t eat certain foods because of poor dental health (fresh apples always present a problem for this reason)
- people didn’t have cooking or storage facilities where they were staying
- people couldn’t carry much if they were staying in a shelter or halfway house
- when there were fresh fruits or vegetables, sometimes they were unknown, so people didn’t know how to prepare them, and they had a shorter shelf life
Obviously these responses changed the way we organized and ran our pantry. It was also helpful to learn everyone’s story and to get that relational aspect you spoke of when thinking about solutions.
It’s the same concept we use on a grander scale when Bread for the World advocates for foreign aid to be shaped by not just by the U.S. but also by the recipient country; they are the experts in their personal situation.
Blessings!
December 21, 2010 at 11:27 am
David Housholder
Hey everyone, have a look at this response from the folks at Bread for the World! What a blessing that they wrote to us.
December 27, 2010 at 6:10 am
Christopher Hopper
Bro, you should seriously run for political office. I mean that in the best of ways. These are incredible public policy ideas, not just spiritual musings. Good stuff!
December 29, 2010 at 7:42 am
David Housholder
A pleasure to have you on the blog, Bro. Please pass the link on to others!
February 9, 2011 at 6:26 am
Ed
I think you need to go back and read your Bible. There is much on your list the church should be doing, though you won’t find it listed neatly under your concordance headings that you list.
For example, Christian counseling – real Christian Counseling and not secular counseling clothed in Christian words – is essential to living within the body of Christ. Anytime you talk to one another about life issues and about how the Bible speaks to them, it is “christian counseling.” There are also those in the body of Christ who have been gifted with a way to see how the Bible speaks to issues our world can’t make sense of – like anger, lust, depression, guilt, shame, cutting, eating disorders, and the like.
Counseling is just another name for putting the Bible into practice for life. It is not legalism or reducing the Bible to a set of rules …
March 4, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Tracey
As another one who’s been on both ends of the stick, I concur with the several people who have mentioned that people getting food from food banks tend to be obese because the vast majority of what the food banks hand out is unhealthy. Something like 1/3 of all Americans are now diabetic or prediabetic. Not only is sugar bad for these people, but because starches begin to turn into sugar *right in your mouth*, the breads/noodles/pastas/rice does, too.
My husband lost his job over 2 years ago. It was 18 months before he could find anything else, and then it was something like a week a month, which played havoc with his unemployment check. Finally, 3 months ago, he got a contract job that is *almost* giving him 40 hours a week, most weeks, but not all, and no benefits.
We’ve had to go to food banks during this time. I have metabolic disorder and can’t have grains or sugars, including most fruit (very high in sugar). Our most recent trip to the food bank yielded 5 different desserts; 3 loaves of bread; a bag that was almost entirely things like Hamburger Helper and pasta; a bag of oranges; 3 apples; 5 onions; a box of breaded chicken; and a couple of cans of green beans. I could eat the onions and green beans. We have $20 to last the week, so I’m having to eat things I really am not supposed to eat. I have gained something like 25 lbs. this winter, and believe me, it’s not been through over-eating. It’s because my body cannot process sugar and stores ALL of it.
Another food bank we get to when we can afford the gas does give out meat, usually around 5 lbs. per family per week. Given that I can only eat vegetables and meat, it’s still not quite enough. Almost everything else they give is a grain product. I’m extremely grateful for what they *do* give us, though.
Grain products are cheap. That’s probably why food banks give them. But they are not what many people need. I almost feel bad giving them away, because most of the people I know who need them at our own church shouldn’t have them, either.
My own contribution to the family finances is web design work, when I can get it, and freelance writing. I also run a weekly menu service for people who need the same kind of diet I do (click my name above). It just doesn’t make up for the hole left in our budget by my husband’s job loss yet.
April 1, 2011 at 12:21 am
Mark
The homeless I work with are constantly at the library and the work centers sending out their resumes and interviewing for available positions. They pass every drug test and never have alcohol on their breath. Los Angeles county has the highest unemployment rate in the country. It is over 12.5%. Most of these are able and looking for work. Some of these broad strokes are not fair to most crisis intervention. There are no simple answers.
Was ending WWII complex? Okay, is ending this complex? Add all the financial and human resource to end WWII – and – project that, including inflation to end the end game – hunger – after hunger, then we’ll go for shelter.
I got more If you’re up for it.
July 1, 2011 at 11:14 am
Raphiella Munsell
The Answer To the Question “Would Jesus Start A Food Bank ?” is in the bible. Jesus saw that the people were hunger and he feed them. He did not pick and chose amongst hem you got food. He feed them all. He did this Twice.
July 1, 2011 at 11:27 am
Raphiella Munsell
Acts 4:32-37
August 6, 2011 at 3:43 am
Reba Crozier
Jesus fed the hungry,.. he taught love,benevolence,and humility,.. but he also taught Charity and much of it,.. In the book of.. I Corinthians,..Chapter 13, he speaks of charity and he explains that it does not matter how much you give to the poor, if your heart is not in it ,.. it has no meaning
Corinthians I chapter 13 : 1-13 ( the whole chapter)! This is not the only scripture that teaches charity in the Bible there are others.
October 14, 2011 at 3:37 pm
L.P.
Charity begins in the home. if your neighbour is hungy..feed them. Teach your children in the ways of the Lord and to wait until married before having children of their own. Teens, don’t date…wait, you will miss out on God’s chosen for you. Rather than abort, find a loving home for your child..Stop buying lottery tickets! Live simple, stop buying all the latest techs. how many pc and tv’s do you need in one house hold?. Don’t be a slave to fashion with those exspensive brand name clothes your kids are pressuring you into buying while you go without. By buying those exspensive names, remember, they are only names and you are supporting their luxury life stye.. Teach your children to save for that item.Rather than hand it to them.They will appreciate it more than you handing it over. Birthdays, it’s their day,thats when you can spoil them. Use cash as much as you can. Have family nights. Eat together at the same table as a family not in front of the tv, turn it off and get to know your kids.Always tell them you love them uncondionally but, there are consequences when they disobey. Make Sunday’s a day of Church and dinner by inviting a single person home now and then. Christmas could be a day to celebrate with family dinner in the true meaning..without the pressure of giving presents, If you want to give, make a donation to a animal shelter.Again, some one who has no place to go…. invite them. All the ideas I have read so far were good. I’m just trying to suggest, go back to the basics, I realize both or one parent, may have a different shift and cannot be at the dinner table, but even one parent is better than none when eating as a family at the dinner table. Eat healthy and make healty choices. You don’t need to eat meat every day.Most important ..God loves a cheerful giver. Tithe your 10% and offerings as Jesus said. You can’t afford not to. It will come back a hundred fold. It really works my friends. God Bless you all.