What Churches Should Be About
March 22, 2009
NBC Nightly News recently ran a story on Waterfront Community Church in Schaumburg Illinois. In a nut shell, the church does not house them selves in a multi-million dollar temple, spend hundreds of millions soliciting more money, or attempt to assert them selves as God’s only pick. Instead, they ask for and receive permission to meet in different facilities such as public schools and private facilities, and they have no international television platform for which to beg for money. But most importantly, they don’t spend their gifts of generosity on themselves. They spend every cent on helping the needy.
My View
Obviously, I could go on forever about those who do just the opposite. But this is what Jesus taught us and the Bible teaches us – help those in need. Evidently Waterfront Community doesn’t believe it’s necessary to collect hundreds of millions of dollars and use that money for lavish life styles and to build monuments unto themselves in order to save souls. They believe they can save souls simply by showing people how God works. They give to people instead of taking from people.
I sometimes write about the evil of those who proclaim to be saviors of mankind in the name of God. But Waterfront Community is a very refreshing breath of fresh air, and the example for those to follow who want to show it’s really all about God & the people instead of about them.
Cynical Synapse
// Mar 26, 2009 at 7:17 PM
This is a refreshing story. My parish is part of a consortium of churches that host a rotating shelter during the winter months. To me, that’s what Church is all about. It’s not the ritual or the dogma or the denomination. It’s about helping the less fortunate.
Driving up the highway a while ago, I noticed a huge “mega church”, not more than 2 miles from my house, in the midst of a depressed neighborhood. I was immediately saddened by the money spent on this so-called worship center when the neighborhood around it is blighted or abandoned. I don’t think God’s impressed by this.