tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863580044898821386.post5396234928218767964..comments2023-05-17T06:09:57.307-04:00Comments on Flip Flops, Glitter, and Theology: Matthew 25:34-40, Introduction to The Least of TheseL.http://www.blogger.com/profile/00106478277540160841noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863580044898821386.post-2505374236430629102015-08-08T15:00:59.859-04:002015-08-08T15:00:59.859-04:00Thanks for sharing this, Rich. I really believe t...Thanks for sharing this, Rich. I really believe that out compassionate ministry centers are doing important things, but I also agree that it is vital for our churches to connect to the poor around us. Sometimes I feel as if we have created this dichotomy where compassionate ministry is a place for us to keep the poor safely tucked away, out of sight. Oh, we'll care for them, but we don't want to look at them. <br /><br />I have essentially been told that this is the way it should be in the church. The poor have nothing to offer us, so they cannot be our "target group". Ministry to the poor is unsustainable in the church. If you want to minister to the poor, find another way to do it. This is distressing.<br /><br />So, I appreciate the people who are pouring their lives into compassionate ministries centers, and I sure hope they keep doing it, because it *is* necessary work, no doubt! But, I also would like to see the church catch a greater vision for ministering to the poor and making them a part of our communities. L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00106478277540160841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5863580044898821386.post-14091513022462234932015-08-03T17:48:08.547-04:002015-08-03T17:48:08.547-04:00I'm always so proud of our Kansas City Rescue ...I'm always so proud of our Kansas City Rescue Mission here. Joe Collaizzi, the long time director (and founder?) remarked at our recent district assembly that, while he believes his work is important, he wanted us to remember that our churches must not outsource our compassionate care to a compassionate ministry center like the KCRM. It is the responsibility of all of us to reach with compassion into our communities. <br /><br />At one former church, we had a sort of consortium for compassionate care in our small town. Every church sent a check (and sometimes volunteers), and the center managed its own affairs. While this could be quite efficient, I never really felt like this helped us connect in personal ways to the poor around us. <br /><br />By contrast, another local church had dozens of volunteers who made hot meals and delivered them on Thanksgiving day. My family assembled and delivered meals one year and found it tremendously rewarding.Rich Shockeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12570693291582649092noreply@blogger.com