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Do Fundamentalist Churches Help the Poor?

Discussion in 'Fundamental Baptist Forum' started by John of Japan, Jul 12, 2010.

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Does your fundamentalist church help the poor?

Poll closed Aug 11, 2010.

  1. Our church has a program or participates in one to help the poor.

    9 vote(s)
    69.2%

  2. Our church has no permanent program, but does help the poor.

    3 vote(s)
    23.1%

  3. Our church has no program but teaches that individuals should help the poor.

    1 vote(s)
    7.7%

  4. Our church teaches and does nothing about helping the poor.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%

  5. Don't know.

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
Top Posters
  1. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    For those who claim the name fundamentalist:

    Does your church have any program in place to help out poor folk? Or do they simply help poor people as they have opportunity? Or do they do nothing as a church but teach that individual Christians should help the poor? Or some other position?
     
    #1 John of Japan, Jul 12, 2010
  2. Luke2427

    Luke2427 Active Member

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    I don't know if I fit the model of "fundamentalist" as you mean or not. I believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God, etc... But I am a Southern Baptist and knowing many IFB's who think that no SBC can be a fundamentalist I don't know if I meet your criteria.

    But since I do claim to be a fundamentalist, here goes.

    Our association has a food bank that feeds 3-4 hundred every quarter. We support it.
    We also reach out to the needy in our immediate community.

    We also encourage our people to care for the needs of the poor.

    So we kind of do all of the above.
     
    #2 Luke2427, Jul 12, 2010
  3. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Thanks for the input and praise the Lord for what your church does. As for the term "fundamentalist," I guess I figure if someone is brave enough to claim the term they must be one! :wavey:
     
    #3 John of Japan, Jul 12, 2010
  4. Mexdeaf

    Mexdeaf New Member

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    I are one- nothing wrong with being a Biblical fundamentalist. Our church has a food bank and we also provide financial assistance for those struggling to pay their utilities.
     
    #4 Mexdeaf, Jul 13, 2010
  5. thegospelgeek

    thegospelgeek New Member

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    We support a food bank and also teach the indivuduals to be generous to the poor.

    I give to those I come across in need, usually by hiring them for a task and WAY overpaying. I do have a concern with food banks in our rual area. Most of those who go receive food stamps. I have been on food stamps with a family of 4 and there was no way we could spend the amount we received. I do wish there was a better way to get the help to those in need without enabling the who want to beat the system. It is difficult to balance Matt 25 with 2 Thes 3:10. When I find myself getting selfish I listen to this;

    The Twenty First Time by Monk and Neegle
     
    #5 thegospelgeek, Jul 13, 2010
  6. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Amen! That's Biblical. :thumbsup:
     
    #6 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
  7. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I believe the Bible teaches this.

    I'm for your first idea there. And we do have to balance and obey those two passages. If we are truly fundamentalist, we must obey every command of Christ.
     
    #7 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
  8. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I voted #2 in my own poll. I don't know of any food banks in our city in Japan, or if they even have any in Japan. The government provides a lot of assistance. I have two single mothers in city housing in my church.

    One problem with trying to help poor folk in Japan is the concept of ongiri, in which every kindness must be answered with a greater one so that the Japanese are not in "debt" to the giver. So we have to help people in need anonymously somehow. My wife once bought a washer for a single mother with no furniture, but we had to get another believer to take delivery and then tell the lady it was anonymous!
     
    #8 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
  9. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    We don't have an organized food pantry anymore because we found it to take up a lot of room, a lot of manpower and a lot of time to keep it going. Instead, we now will give people grocery store gift cards to allow them to purchase what their own family will need. We have a pastor who's in charge of that and it's his wisdom in how we help people. He's gotten good over the years - and he has a good network in place - so that he knows those who abuse the system and those who truly need help.

    Additionally, we started a crisis pregnancy center that gives extensive care to those women who need it through the first 3 years of their child's life.
     
    #9 annsni, Jul 13, 2010
  10. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Excellent obedience to Christ!
     
    #10 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
  11. thegospelgeek

    thegospelgeek New Member

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    Very similar to the appalachian culture I live in. At least the country folk.
     
    #11 thegospelgeek, Jul 13, 2010
  12. thegospelgeek

    thegospelgeek New Member

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    Our national Association has one in Tenn. I don't know as much about it as I should, but I know how to remedy that.

    Does it include any job/career planning?
     
    #12 thegospelgeek, Jul 13, 2010
  13. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I'm not sure if it includes job/career planning but I know they help in whatever way possible. So I'm sure if that's needed, they will do something. :)
     
    #13 annsni, Jul 13, 2010
  14. swaimj

    swaimj <img src=/swaimj.gif>

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    Our church has a foodbank. We also take up a special offering each month after communion which is used to help families in need. Most of what we do is to help families in our church and, occasionally, someone who is connected to a church family and lives in the area. As far as helping the unsaved poor in our community, sad to say, we are not really reaching out there. We do give occasional assistance to a local rescue mission, so perhaps we are doing that to help the poor.
     
    #14 swaimj, Jul 13, 2010
  15. thegospelgeek

    thegospelgeek New Member

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    This brings up an interesting discussion I had with a fellow once. He stated that the bible in no way instructs the Church to help the poor, but instructs the individual to help them. I find the reasoning of seperating the individual from the church to be somewhat troubleing. So while we are discussing what we are doing as the body of Christ, please inform me as to your thinking of responsibilities between the Church and individual in this area.
     
    #15 thegospelgeek, Jul 13, 2010
  16. Tom Bryant

    Tom Bryant Well-Known Member

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    We support a local interdenominational food bank. We also have helped our people with a benevolence fund that has doubled in terms of what we budget for it in the last 3 years. We have used it to help with electricity, water and a percentage of a mortgage payment.

    We couple this with help in budgeting and understanding what the BIble says about finances.
     
    #16 Tom Bryant, Jul 13, 2010
  17. Dr. Bob

    Dr. Bob Administrator
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    When we had a large church, we had an "Isaiah 58" ministry. Would help truly needy. And yes, we were ripped off by some but they will answer to God for that.

    In recent years with small mission congregations, we support "Joshua's Storehouse" that gives boxes of food free and super low-cost items from the food bank. I served on the Board for many years and have fond memories of the hundreds of volunteers.

    Isaiah 58:5-9 "Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?

    Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

    Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

    Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I."
     
    #17 Dr. Bob, Jul 13, 2010
  18. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    I believe the NT church helped the poor, but the focus was first on poor believers, after which others may be helped. "As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10).

    Note that the election of deacons in Acts 6 was for the purpose of having administrators of a "food bank," so to speak. See also Acts 4:35, "distribution was made unto every man according as he had need." Again, in 1 Tim. 5 we have indications that the church Timothy pastored had a list of widows that could be helped by the church (v. 5-9), but young widows should be refused (v. 11), and if a widow had a Christian family that family should help them, not the church (v. 16). Again, Paul was instructed to "remember the poor" (Gal. 2:10).

    So the early church had programs to help the poor, but encouraged the charity to start with families. And of course there are many passages encouraging individual believers to help the poor, visit those in jail, etc.
     
    #18 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
  19. John of Japan

    John of Japan Well-Known Member
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    Now there's a surprising cultural comparison! Two very different worlds except for this point of comparison. :eek:
     
    #19 John of Japan, Jul 13, 2010
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