4 ms·

Unfortunately, I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street. Finding a new church is difficult because everyone has their own clich

Unfortunately, I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street. Finding a new church is difficult because everyone has their own cliches and you don't really get a chance to talk to people and know them on Sundays. People are busy and don't have time for people who aren't their friends.

bell-cot 4y ago
> ...I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street... The Salvation Army is a church, admittedly not a huge one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army At least in cities I'm familiar with (mid-western US), things like charity for the homeless have become church specialties. Most churches in an area will not do it themselves - but instead provide volunteers/donations/etc. to support a few local churches which offer free meals to the needy, shelter for homeless families, etc. Consider the economies of scale if only St. Matthews's is serving free hot breakfasts 365 days a year. Vs. if the dozen or two individual churches which support the St. Matthews Breakfast Ministry each tried to serve up daily breakfast. Or the confusion and redundant facilities if they rotated, and everyone had to remember "Breakfast is at 1st Baptist this week, then Redeemer Lutheran next week, then St. Mary's Catholic, then...".
- freedude 4y ago
  In two of the cities I live near this is how it is done. There is an overarching organization of member churches and each of them contribute based upon their ability and volunteers available. In one city they have a separate location zoned commercial so they can have the commercial equipment they need onsite and take food to the locations. In the other the existing facilities were retrofitted.
rightbyte 4y ago
> Unfortunately, I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street. The Salvation Army? They have both shelter and soup kitchens.

bell-cot 4y ago

> ...I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street... The Salvation Army is a church, admittedly not a huge one: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army At least in cities I'm familiar with (mid-western US), things like charity for the homeless have become church specialties. Most churches in an area will not do it themselves - but instead provide volunteers/donations/etc. to support a few local churches which offer free meals to the needy, shelter for homeless families, etc. Consider the economies of scale if only St. Matthews's is serving free hot breakfasts 365 days a year. Vs. if the dozen or two individual churches which support the St. Matthews Breakfast Ministry each tried to serve up daily breakfast. Or the confusion and redundant facilities if they rotated, and everyone had to remember "Breakfast is at 1st Baptist this week, then Redeemer Lutheran next week, then St. Mary's Catholic, then...".

freedude 4y ago
In two of the cities I live near this is how it is done. There is an overarching organization of member churches and each of them contribute based upon their ability and volunteers available. In one city they have a separate location zoned commercial so they can have the commercial equipment they need onsite and take food to the locations. In the other the existing facilities were retrofitted.

rightbyte 4y ago

> Unfortunately, I've never seen a church do anything to help random people off the street. The Salvation Army? They have both shelter and soup kitchens.