Question

[Dr. Thomas Galt]

Why when a christian family goes to a "church" and asks for help in a very desperate need would the "church" say, and I quote, "If you were a
member of OUR church we could help. But your not so we can't." Hmmm.
Thought the scripture said that we when Jesus is the Lord of our lives
were all members of THE church. There ...is only ONE church. The body of Christ. Sad. Very sad. What a way to turn people away from Christ. Don't understand that.

[keith sanders]

AMEN BROTHER, we see that happen much to often, i have found that when you show kindness to those outside the church you plant a seed that may not grow over night but it will grow, and the holy spirit will water that seed by dealing with that persons heart,

[Dr. Henry, President of the AOCI]

There are many questions that must be answered first in order to protect against fraud and abuse. There are many people who suddently become "christian" when they have problems. . 1. How well does the pastor or congregation member know this person? 2. What is the exact situation or surrounding circumstances? Was it due to neglect? 3. Can the person seek other ways to meet the need? like working for the church, helping, or secular employment etc. 4. How long has this been going on for? etc..etc...

On the other hand, if everything is legitimate and you truly and sincerely have a brother in need, then we ought to help as much as it is possible. The problem is that many christians are still divided. Many still don't understand that we are ONE in Christ.

[Christopher R. Dockrey]

In our city, we have an organization called the Leo Center. It is a Christian ministry that pools money from various churches throughout the city to help those in need; our church regularly contributes to the ministry. When strangers come for assistance, member churches typically refer them to the Leo Center. There are doctors who volunteer their time to help with medical problems, people who volunteer to translate for Spanish-speaking people, they provide job placement assistance, help provide groceries, and assist people in applying for various programs.

I think this is one excellent way for churches to collectively contribute to the needs of people, and at the same time they can avoid having to deal with people who scam churches - which unfortunately there are quite a few of. Also I think cooperatives like this are a witness for Christ because of the diversity of the member churches that work together.