Onward ~ and ~ Upward_ Churches Creating Community Outreach

Societies never hide what they value. Museums are built to house famous and local artwork, with invitations to dignitaries to visit at least annually for open house. Music is celebrated and taught through symphony orchestras. Playwriters and the arts are publicly displayed through each performance, from the community level all the way down to high school and grade school programs. Fields are built for baseball, softball, football... and stadiums with bleachers reaching high into the air. Monuments are erected to remember events and participants, and even parks and new buildings proudly display plaques to celebrate major contributors and historical dates.

Communities notoriously hide imperfections. Town "Visitor and Tourism Bureaus" make glossy photos of what is the most attractive sights of the area, and draw attention to only the most positive aspects of what their town has to offer - even when it requires the use of blinders about very obvious flaws. Praise is heaped on the excellent education the community offers, while ignoring the fact that the school structures are deteriorating. Attention is brought to newly built industry or shopping malls, but brochures never mention that the community otherwise has become stagnant. Even hospitals (the structures mostly) are celebrated for new state-of-the-art equipment and services, with wings named for prominent persons. And, as a national trend, youth and health have the most attention while illness, disease, and infirmities of old age are hidden, down-played, and ignored, along with the persons whose lives are affected.

When is the last time communities held Old People's Day, with visits from local officials and the famous to Open House celebrations at nursing homes and long-term facilities? When have communities or schools regularly required young people to give any kind of service to the elderly, ill, infirm or invalids in the town? How many churches have created ongoing programs to fulfill needs of whose illnesses or advancing age prevents them from doing daily tasks for themselves? What does your community - your church - value? And in what ways are these values displayed?

Rather than regarding someone who is ill or disabled as a "charity case," I think the word CHARITY could be defined as "To show care and honor, with assistance and reassurance, as an Investment in the ill or invalid - with Tolerance to young and old."

Churches might set up a three-fold plan for community outreach, such as this:

Identify homebound persons	A simple sentence could be added to advertising: We invite you to call us if you are ill, disabled, or homebound. Any denomination served.
Create a volunteer "workforce"	Recruit volunteers for an on-going program of one-on-one contacts, visits, and service to the ill and disabled in their homes.
Establish schedules	Establish schedules of regular, on-going contacts with the homebound persons.

Visits should focus on service rather than evangelism - much can be communicated through action rather than by proselytizing. Remember how great you feel when you just washed and put on clean clothes, ate a lovely meal, or had a good conversation. These are the things that will work messages into hearts of those whose physical needs are great, far more than preaching words, just as the message was greatest when Jesus washed the feet of the Disciples. Look for the person's physical needs first, and the needs present in their surroundings. Do you have the compassion and patience to help someone get a bath or washed up? Can you brush their hair? Help them dress? Read to them? Help them write a letter - or read one they received? Does the person need help with housework? Does the lawn need mowed? Is there a window that needs fixed? Would a fan or air conditioner improve the person's daily life? What in the house has fallen apart with the person's body being ill? You'll be surprised at how much your time and attention can give to another person!

Invest your charity as Christ would do.

The Impact of Churches
in Chronic Illness and Disability
The Development of Community Outreach Programs

Invest Your Charity
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Impact of Churches in Chronic Illness and Disability The Development of Community Outreach Programs

Invest Your Charity Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

The Impact of Churches
in Chronic Illness and Disability
The Development of Community Outreach Programs

Invest Your Charity
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.