I thought she was going to give me a praise report

[paperflower]

Today at work a coworker comes up to me and says she needs to tell me about UPBC ( a local church) and then starts talking...."THERE WAS A LADY WHO WENT TO UPBC YESTERDAY TO ASK FOR HELP IN TURNING HER GAS BACK ON. SHE HAD BEEN WITHOUT IT FOR A FEW DAYS AND HAD SOMEONE TURN IT ON FOR TWO DAYS. NOW SHE NEEDED THE EXTRA $345 TO GET IT TURNED ON. SHE HAS THE OTHER PART OF THE MONEY BUT SHE STILL NEEDS $345. THE MINISTER AT THE CHURCH TOLD HER 'NO WE CANNOT HELP YOU BECAUSE YOU TURNED YOUR GAS ON FOR TWO DAYS ILLEGALLY'. NOW THE LADY WAS GIVEN A LISTING OF OTHER CHURCHES WHO MAY HELP BUT WAS TOLD DONT COUNT ON IT BECAUSE THEY PROABLY WONT HELP YOU EITHER BECAUSE YOU TURNDED THE GAS ON ILLEGALLY.

Now if you were told this at work what would have been your reaction?

[Zceiv]

Today at work a coworker comes up to me and says she needs to tell me about UPBC ( a local church) and then starts talking...."THERE WAS A LADY WHO WENT TO UPBC YESTERDAY TO ASK FOR HELP IN TURNING HER GAS BACK ON. SHE HAD BEEN WITHOUT IT FOR A FEW DAYS AND HAD SOMEONE TURN IT ON FOR TWO DAYS. NOW SHE NEEDED THE EXTRA $345 TO GET IT TURNED ON. SHE HAS THE OTHER PART OF THE MONEY BUT SHE STILL NEEDS $345. THE MINISTER AT THE CHURCH TOLD HER 'NO WE CANNOT HELP YOU BECAUSE YOU TURNED YOUR GAS ON FOR TWO DAYS ILLEGALLY'. NOW THE LADY WAS GIVEN A LISTING OF OTHER CHURCHES WHO MAY HELP BUT WAS TOLD DONT COUNT ON IT BECAUSE THEY PROABLY WONT HELP YOU EITHER BECAUSE YOU TURNDED THE GAS ON ILLEGALLY.

Now if you were told this at work what would have been your reaction?

anger at the churches

[Guest lovinghim4ever]

Too bad it happened that way because the church could have made such a wonderful demonstration of Gods kind of love and they could have led her through repentance and help her out and follow through with a witness and growth ministry of some sort. So much we can and should do with the Lords guidance. Churches today are in a lot of spiritual trouble, the only good thing about this is The Time is Close!!!! In Gods Love Tina

As Jesus said, "Let he/she who is without sin cast the first stone."

[Floatingaxe]

From the woman's report, we could easily fault the church for being uncompassionate--too easy to do, but you need to maybe consider that there just may have been some other factors involved that caused him to make the decision he did. Maybe the woman was known to be one who comes to churches with her hand out--a taker, a user. It takes discernment to know who to hand over funds to. Was this woman repentant? Was she belligerent?

We need to trust the leadership's judgment with benevolent funds. It is so easy to look at the outside of the situation and then start to point fingers. I think it would be better to consider the pastor's view over anyone's, first...after all he is a brother, and the shepherd of that flock. We need to place our loyalty with him first, until something comes up openly that dislodges that trust.

I feel for that pastor...it was gossip.

[Guest Biblicist]

From the woman's report, we could easily fault the church for being uncompassionate. But you need to maybe consider that there just may have been some other factors involved that caused him to make the decision he did. Maybe the woman was known to be one who comes to churches with her hand out--a taker. It takes discernment to know who to hand over funds to. Was this woman repentant? Was she belligerent?

We need to trust the leadership's judgment with benevolent funds. It is so easy to look at the outside of the situation and then start to point fingers. I think it would be better to consider the pastor's view over anyone's, first..after all he is a brother, and the shepherd of that flock. We need to place out loyalty with him first, until something comes up openly that dislodges that trust.

I feel for that pastor...it was gossip.

Wise words, Axey!

If the woman is not a member of the church it would be rather strange for her to come asking for money.

It's never a good idea to formulate an opinion by one side of the story. I heard once; there are three sides to every story, her side, his side and the truth. In many cases this is very accurate.

Gossip is, telling someone something that is not part of the problem or solution. You were neither.

Paperflower, I feel badly for you to be put in the middle of this situation and to have to listen to gossip. Next time this woman comes to you, it might be a good idea to tell her that you do not want to hear gossip from her.

[Floatingaxe]

From the woman's report, we could easily fault the church for being uncompassionate. But you need to maybe consider that there just may have been some other factors involved that caused him to make the decision he did. Maybe the woman was known to be one who comes to churches with her hand out--a taker. It takes discernment to know who to hand over funds to. Was this woman repentant? Was she belligerent?

We need to trust the leadership's judgment with benevolent funds. It is so easy to look at the outside of the situation and then start to point fingers. I think it would be better to consider the pastor's view over anyone's, first..after all he is a brother, and the shepherd of that flock. We need to place out loyalty with him first, until something comes up openly that dislodges that trust.

I feel for that pastor...it was gossip.

Wise words, Axey!

If the woman is not a member of the church it would be rather strange for her to come asking for money.

It's never a good idea to formulate an opinion by one side of the story. I heard once; there are three sides to every story, her side, his side and the truth. In many cases this is very accurate.

Gossip is, telling someone something that is not part of the problem or solution. You were neither.

Paperflower, I feel badly for you to be put in the middle of this situation and to have to listen to gossip. Next time this woman comes to you, it might be a good idea to tell her that you do not want to hear gossip from her.

I agree. Gossip is a terrible scourge, and especially when it is about the people that the Lord places over us--our pastors, etc...it is unconscionable.

[Guest Biblicist]

From the woman's report, we could easily fault the church for being uncompassionate. But you need to maybe consider that there just may have been some other factors involved that caused him to make the decision he did. Maybe the woman was known to be one who comes to churches with her hand out--a taker. It takes discernment to know who to hand over funds to. Was this woman repentant? Was she belligerent?

We need to trust the leadership's judgment with benevolent funds. It is so easy to look at the outside of the situation and then start to point fingers. I think it would be better to consider the pastor's view over anyone's, first..after all he is a brother, and the shepherd of that flock. We need to place out loyalty with him first, until something comes up openly that dislodges that trust.

I feel for that pastor...it was gossip.

Wise words, Axey!

If the woman is not a member of the church it would be rather strange for her to come asking for money.

It's never a good idea to formulate an opinion by one side of the story. I heard once; there are three sides to every story, her side, his side and the truth. In many cases this is very accurate.

Gossip is, telling someone something that is not part of the problem or solution. You were neither.

Paperflower, I feel badly for you to be put in the middle of this situation and to have to listen to gossip. Next time this woman comes to you, it might be a good idea to tell her that you do not want to hear gossip from her.

I agree. Gossip is a terrible scourge, and especially when it is about the people that the Lord places over us--our pastors, etc...it is unconscionable.

Amen & Amen

[paperflower]

I am a member of this church...and the pastor himself was not the one who made the decesion...it was another female pastor...(hey wait...don't go there in this post if you are AGAINST female ministers). Now the pastor himself has gone through WORSE than this...when your church grows rumors fill up more space than the pews....so that is why I said I have a headache over this...and for the record I am a personal friend of the pastor, knew him through my sisters before I joined. I didn't get a chance to talk to the coworker today...very busy day at work...I want to follow up with this case. And I guess it doesn't matter that the person asking was wheel chair bound. ....but as to the part of asking, this church is one of the largest and is known to help out.

From the woman's report, we could easily fault the church for being uncompassionate. But you need to maybe consider that there just may have been some other factors involved that caused him to make the decision he did. Maybe the woman was known to be one who comes to churches with her hand out--a taker. It takes discernment to know who to hand over funds to. Was this woman repentant? Was she belligerent?

We need to trust the leadership's judgment with benevolent funds. It is so easy to look at the outside of the situation and then start to point fingers. I think it would be better to consider the pastor's view over anyone's, first..after all he is a brother, and the shepherd of that flock. We need to place out loyalty with him first, until something comes up openly that dislodges that trust.

I feel for that pastor...it was gossip.

Wise words, Axey!

If the woman is not a member of the church it would be rather strange for her to come asking for money.

It's never a good idea to formulate an opinion by one side of the story. I heard once; there are three sides to every story, her side, his side and the truth. In many cases this is very accurate.

Gossip is, telling someone something that is not part of the problem or solution. You were neither.

Paperflower, I feel badly for you to be put in the middle of this situation and to have to listen to gossip. Next time this woman comes to you, it might be a good idea to tell her that you do not want to hear gossip from her.

[TheoMike]

When I was pastoring, I would get a dozen calls a month from people asking for money for the electric bill, the grocery bill, the school supply bill...you name it. It didn't take me long to realize that these people called every church, in town, every month until they found a sucker who would cut them a check. It became our policy to help out anybody, for almost any reason if they regularly attended our church. We never gave to an individual based on a phone call. Being compassionate is one thing, but being taken advantage of in this kind of situation is facilitating somebody else's problem.

[Leonard]

Paul gives very specific rules for church welfare. Was the woman a widow? Was she without living children who could and should help her? Was she over 60? Had she been hospitable to fellow Christians, and charitable in her own life?

If so, then she may be eligable for church welfare. Otherwise Paul says a resounding "NO." I've learned some very tough lessons about helping people who drop by with various sad stories.