Doing Justice and Loving Mercy: Compassion Ministries, Mentor's Guide, MG16

1 8 6 /

D O I N G J U S T I C E A N D L O V I N G M E R C Y : C O M P A S S I O N M I N I S T R I E S

compromise? How can you better learn to celebrate difference, encourage forgiveness and reconciliation, and strive to demonstrate to others Christ’s love for all people, regardless of background or race?

Too Much Help?

(Based on a true story). A member of an urban church, a single mother with two children, ran into hard financial times and was evicted out of her apartment. The church leaders and its members responded in typical Christian fashion: her family was placed in a local motel, platoons of members brought potluck meals to them while in the hotel, and offerings were taken to supply them with down payment on a new home, which was secured by one of the members of the church. Workers came by and redid the cabinets, painted, got the plumbing done, and even helped move her and her family into the new (different!) home. On seeing this remarkable outpouring of love, one of the elders, a brother who grew up in a depressed urban neighborhood, expressed concern about what all of this help might ultimately do to the motivation and engagement of the young woman and her family. Although he was grateful for such a show of generous support, he shared with the other elders of the church the need for caution in giving so much support to an urban Christian family without also asking for her responsibility and involvement. What do you make of the elder’s advice? A young brother who was “caught between jobs” asked his church for help with his utilities and rent for his apartment. A responsible, excellent Christian, this young brother was truly in need, due to no fault of his own, and required, at least on the surface, just some financial aid to get him pass this immediate financial crisis. While much of the Church Council (those given responsibility for leading the church of which he was a part) had no problem in giving him the money, some of the leadership wondered if such a practice would be helpful. Frankly, the young brother had been in these straits before; he was not as aggressive as he could have been, too, to find a job until the last moment. Some suggested that it is important to not become too paternalistic in the lives of the members. They are adult, and responsible for their own lives. If in fact he was in this situation because he was lazy or not as aggressive in looking for a job, why should the church bail him out? The Need to Learn the Hard Way

4