But if someone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but refuses to help—how can the love of God dwell in a person like that? – 1 John 3:17 (CEB)
At our confirmation class time this past Sunday, we welcomed Linda Dix from the Moorestown Society of St. Vincent de Paul to share with us what they do. Since 2018, the churches of the Moorestown Ministerium work together to support the needs of those who are in physical need. Rather than each church having its own program, own financial support goes to this organization to administer need. We learned that currently there are over 260 guests from Moorestown alone receiving support. The issues they deal with include food insecurity, homelessness, and inability to pay rent or gas money.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is more effective than individual congregations can be. They have a screening process for those seeking assistance. They have someone sit down with each person or family that makes a request, working with them to identify a strategy for getting to self-sufficiency. While immediate relief is often needed, equally important is the support and partnership in seeking long-term solutions. Ms. Dix shared with our confirmands the importance of the personal connection of walking with those in need.
There are three things that the Society asks for as support. First and foremost is prayer. This is not just a pious preliminary, but an earnest reminder that care for others begins from a spiritual base. Secondly, donations are needed and are put to direct use locally. As a congregation, the Society is one of our key mission partners that we support financially. The third is participation. The confirmation class discussed some ways that we could be more directly involved. Hopefully you will be hearing more about those ideas soon.
I shared with the class how often Jesus’ statement “you always have the poor with you” (Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7) is used to say that we do not need to do anything to address the causes of poverty. This is not the intention of the statement. Instead, we should hear that when the church is truly acting as the church, those living in poverty will always be part of it. Those who are poor will find in the church welcome, genuine concern, and a desire to help them meet their basic needs. That is a core characteristic of the nature of the church. It is to be a key part of each of our lives as Christians, and the work that we do together. For us to live in God’s love means to actively include those who are poor and their needs in our life of faith as a congregation – for “if someone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but refuses to help—how can the love of God dwell in a person like that?” as John puts it. We need to constantly ask ourselves how we are showing the love we know in Christ with those struggling with poverty around us. As the confirmation class learned on Sunday, the need is all around us.