One of the
first things you learn in Sunday School as a child are the Ten Commandments.
They are the building blocks that most Christians use to guide them through
their daily lives. Each commandment is meant to help followers find their way
through the struggles of ever day life. Throughout
the Bible are many reminders that treating others with kindness and compassion
are the most important duties of a Christian person
In the Bible,
Matthew 22 says, "Teacher, which is the great
commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your
heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” "This is the first and
great commandment. "And the second is like it:
'You shall love your neighbor as
yourself."On these two commandments hang all the Law and the
Prophets." It doesn’t sound all that complicated, does it? Well, it
seems some people in Concord, North Carolina are finding that part of the Bible
particularly hard to live with.
The Shower of
Blessings Church in Concord, North Carolina has learned that their neighbors
are finding the commandment to “love they neighbor” very hard to do. It started
when neighbors found out that for the past 18 months, the church has been
giving a safe place to stay for several homeless families. The neighbors are
upset because no one told them that the church would be providing shelter for
these people.
When many
people think of the homeless, they think of the negative vision we’ve seen. It
is associated with crime, drug use, poverty, being lazy and unemployed among
other things that no one wants to live near. However, in today’s economy, the
homeless person could be someone that has simply had a terrible setback in life
that has temporarily knocked them down. Brendan Spaar has found that these are the people being helped at My
Father’s House in The Shower of Blessings Church.
“If
your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall
support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live
with you. Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your
brother may live beside you. -- Leviticus 25:35-36
The way the
neighbors found out was not by seeing vagrants or an increase in crime. They
were alerted by the start of construction to add 4 additional units to the
church’s sanctuary to house more families. The city officials in Concord have
said that the church is operating within the law but the neighbors are still
not happy. Despite there being no complaints or issues reported, one neighbor
was quoted as saying,” We just don't want them walking around, this
neighborhood has been quiet.”
In case you’re
wondering, representatives of the ministry have reassured the community
that the people being helped are not the
scary visions we’ve seen on the news in other inner cities. "These are
families from our communities that may have experienced job loss,” Ed Hosack,
CCM executive director, said. “There may have been medical bills, the break up
or loss of a family member." Mr. Hosack went on to say that all of the
residents remain engaged in purposeful, intentional activities and "most
of them go to work each day." Residents are screened and drug tested and
the facility has 24-hour management.
My Father's
House offers shelter, safety, and dignity as people get back on their feet. The
Bible directs Christians to offer hope and assistance to those in need. “For I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and
you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous
will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or
thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit
you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one
of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ “-- Matthew 25:35-40
Brendan Spaar
believes that "Love thy neighbor" is not as hard as it seems. It
simply means respecting others and regarding their needs as highly as we regard
our own. How can we learn to “love” the guy next door with the barking dog or
loud stereo, especially when we don't even like him? Maybe we should understand
that our neighbor, whether it's the guy next door, the cashier at WalMart, or
the person next to us at church, is as
worthy of compassion as any of us.
