Quote:
Originally Posted by craigepo
I recently went out to help with relief work in Joplin, Mo., a few days after the tornado had hit the town. I was amazed by the number of church buses that were parked everywhere; churches in the region had loaded up bus after bus, and the congregation members were all over the stricken area, doing what they could. The US government was not helping dig bodies out of the rubble---it was a region's worth of churches. People taking time off work, away from their own lives, to just come help.
On the periphery of the stricken area, various Christian organizations had set up tractor trailers for relief stuff. Food, clothing, shelter, everything was provided by organizations like the Convoy of Hope. Churches in the region donated so much stuff that those who had suffered from the tornado were taken care of almost immediately.
The Scottish Rite cathedral was packed with Masons from several states. They spent their time cooking and taking meals from the cathedral to the people working in the stricken area. One Mason brought a smoker and cooked 500 lbs of pork butts per day for the workers.
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My Brothers place was hit by the tornado in Sanford NC. His had major damage but was still standing. His inlaws place was distroyed, everything but the foundation was gone. Within the first 2 hours, local churches and nieghbors were coming by and checking on everyone to make sure they had food, water clothing and shelter. Within the first two days, church organizations were comming by and "triaging" the area to form a work schedule. With in the first week all the debris was removed from the houses except for the tree on my brothers house. These religous groups used their time, money, and machinery to make short work of the devistation and asked for nothing in return. Not even a prayer session or a promise to attend church. They also never asked what religion you were or even if you believed. They came and asked if you needed help and if they could give it.
During that time everybody with a chainsaw stopped by and offered to help, for a "reasonable" price. This included Joe Bob in a pick up to commercial contractors in Mercedes. They did not care what religion you were either as long as you had money to give them. not just any amount but a very specific amount.
During this period the insurance companies were also performing triage so it took time for adjusters to get to everyone. During the first week of recovery, alot of people whose homes were not destroyed only got a quick visit from the adjusters. It took nearly two weeks before my brother got a check from them so that the tree could be removed from the house. It had to be proffesionally removed due to its size. It was the last piece to be cleaned up. When it was removed all the other clean up and landscaping had been done by church groups, if not for the smashed house you would not have known there had been any tornado.
If it had not been for the church groups, the cleanup of the entire area would have taken much longer and been much more expensive to insurance companies, the government, and to the individual home owners. The church groups do not do this for the recognition or the money. They do it because its the right thing to do.
As for the ATM in church, no thanks. I believe I would have to change churches if mine were to do that. It makes me believe that they are more interested in money than teaching the word of GOD.