Our Church frequently gets requests for help from people in the community, or those passing through.
We have a central faith-based "clearing house" downtown (of which I am a board member) where we send people who need more than just limited groceries or gasoline or toiletries, and most of the Churches in the area fund this one center where they provide a wide variety of services, including food, housing, rent assistance, etc.
Today, a black man (probably in his 60's) came to the Church asking for assistance, preceded with the obligatory "I just lost my sister in Dallas, died of cancer" (always starts with a heart string tug) and need some help... He listed some things he needed ($130 worth), the most pressing of which was a tank of gas to get to Dallas. I told him that we use [the name of the center] for distribution of goods, and recommended he contact them. (I was planning to buy him gas)
When I mentioned the help center, he kinda went on a rant about the [N-word] that runs that place, and a lot of people in town don't like him, and he got run out of his previous city, and.......on and on....
I told him, "look, even though you're black, you don't get to sit here spouting the N-word and bringing racism and profanity into this". He doubled down telling me "you just don't know that lying [N-word] and the way he operates...." (That "lying N-word" is one of my best friends, and was "run out" of his previous city by Hurricane Katrina - and a lot of people don't like him because he believes in a work ethic and not just handing out "free stuff" for the sake of handing it out)
I finally stood up and said, "You know what you just did?" He looked surprised, and said, "no, what did I just do?" I said, "you are the first person in my 45 years of ministry to EVER talk me out of helping after I already decided I was going to buy you a tank of gas". He really looked surprised, and said, "I did that?" I said, "yes sir, you did that" and pointed to the door.
On the way out the door, he was muttering "I just talked myself out of getting help?" I said, "yes sir, you did, and I'll let [the help center] know you won't be wanting their assistance either".
Just needed to vent.
We have a central faith-based "clearing house" downtown (of which I am a board member) where we send people who need more than just limited groceries or gasoline or toiletries, and most of the Churches in the area fund this one center where they provide a wide variety of services, including food, housing, rent assistance, etc.
Today, a black man (probably in his 60's) came to the Church asking for assistance, preceded with the obligatory "I just lost my sister in Dallas, died of cancer" (always starts with a heart string tug) and need some help... He listed some things he needed ($130 worth), the most pressing of which was a tank of gas to get to Dallas. I told him that we use [the name of the center] for distribution of goods, and recommended he contact them. (I was planning to buy him gas)
When I mentioned the help center, he kinda went on a rant about the [N-word] that runs that place, and a lot of people in town don't like him, and he got run out of his previous city, and.......on and on....
I told him, "look, even though you're black, you don't get to sit here spouting the N-word and bringing racism and profanity into this". He doubled down telling me "you just don't know that lying [N-word] and the way he operates...." (That "lying N-word" is one of my best friends, and was "run out" of his previous city by Hurricane Katrina - and a lot of people don't like him because he believes in a work ethic and not just handing out "free stuff" for the sake of handing it out)
I finally stood up and said, "You know what you just did?" He looked surprised, and said, "no, what did I just do?" I said, "you are the first person in my 45 years of ministry to EVER talk me out of helping after I already decided I was going to buy you a tank of gas". He really looked surprised, and said, "I did that?" I said, "yes sir, you did that" and pointed to the door.
On the way out the door, he was muttering "I just talked myself out of getting help?" I said, "yes sir, you did, and I'll let [the help center] know you won't be wanting their assistance either".
Just needed to vent.
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