I have gotten to where I have very mixed emotions about Christmas. I love the holiday. I love the time with family and friends. I love the reason we celebrate but, I don't like what the holiday has become. I don't want to buy anything for anyone and I don't want anyone buying anything for me. If I want something or need something badly enough, I go buy it, and most people I know can do the same. But, not everyone has the means to do that.
In my job as pastor I am also part of a local ministerial alliance which is very active and the pastors all work well together. We are able to pool the resources of several local churches in four communities and better help those in our communities who are in need and there are many needs. There is a lot of poverty in rural Oklahoma and the current state of the economy has made things worse for those who already didn't have enough.
For all of 2008 our ministerial alliance gave a little over $2,300 in aid, not counting canned and dry goods. We also passed out Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets to 30 families. Through the first 10 months of 2009 we have given over $4,500 in aid and will surely go over $5,000. Our Thanksgiving baskets were up to 45 families. Again, this doesn't count canned and dry goods out of the food pantry, which is all donated to the alliance.
In this moment, if we will get out of our comfortable easy chairs and our warm houses and look around a bit we will see that there are many who don't have comfortable easy chairs or warm houses. If you have been blessed then please be a blessing to someone else this Christmas. The needs are great.
3 comments:
What I have been struck with in all of this is that less than two years ago the ministerial alliance was moving money from the savings to checking to make ends meet. In that short amount of time God has blessed the alliance that we may in turn be a blessing to others, many times over. I believe it is the spirit of the alliance, working together despite denominational or theological differences to share our love for one another and for the communities we serve, that has made it possible for us to bless others. Jesus tells us that the rest of the world will know we are his followers by our love for one another. This demonstration of love has made as much of a difference to the communities as has our abilities to assist those in need. In addition to giving of our financial abundance this holiday season, I pray we will also give of our abundance of love from God above.
Blessings for a Merry Christmas!
Amen! I also get frustrated that this spirit of giving only seems to come around about once a year...The need for action is present beyond the Christmas season, it's hard to keep people engaged in giving and helping others throughout the year.
The alliance sounds like a great group doing a LOT of good! Thank you!
I completely agree! The church i attend does alot of the same things throughout the year for those in need, we usually call them lifepacks and sometimes it's school supplies for children, or hygeine, or toys for Christmas, and. thanksgiving meals for familes as well... I tell everyone not to give me anything but to give someone who needs something. I've got more than enough and it is great that you and your churches do so much for so many! I wish more people would get involved in this type of thing, we have so many struggling people and families in America, yet the rich just focus on getting richer... I am glad and still hopeful that in the coming few years we will be able to see some amazing changes for the people.
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