As a former Conley’s Church member, when I read Mary Marcinko’s letter (Oct. 29, 2021) I was also concerned and must concur with her on this matter. For clarification, I live outside of a five-mile radius of Conley’s Church so the “not in my backyard” argument does not pertain to me. While it is admirable to have a desire to help our fellow man, providing the wrong help can be detrimental to all involved. Moving someone from the stereotypical cardboard box into a tin shack does not help anyone. Jesus said in Mark 14: 7, “The poor you will always have with you.” The difference is that Jesus never left anyone where they were; he always improved their situation.
Deuteronomy 15: 7-8, instructs us to offer someone what they “need,” and that is often very different from what they may want. Simply enabling someone to remain dependent on the charity of others does nothing to improve anyone’s situation. Keeping people contained in a fenced camp, as Ms. Marcinko indicates in her letter, is akin to maintaining a concentration camp. Even with the best intentions, doing so without the benefit of professional counselors and medical staff remains inhumane. We need only to observe the same kinds of camps around the world to see what becomes of them. The unsanitary conditions result in illness, and the people who reside in them become dehumanized and completely dependent on the caretakers.
To really help, one needs to actually engage in conversation, learn the reason the person is in the position they are, and then act to find a suitable resolution when and if the person wants help. Some people are content being dependent on the goodwill of others, but enabling that lifestyle fails to provide humanitarian help and support needed to improve someone’s life.
Hopefully the congregation of Conley’s Church will remember their core values statement that reads in part: “We commit to a lifestyle of service, striving to follow Jesus’ example of ministry. We believe the Holy Spirit gives each person unique gifts to be used in service, and we embrace an attitude that seeks to give rather than to receive, and to serve rather than to be served.” If they really want to practice the ministry of Jesus, they will find a better, more productive way to offer help for those in need.
They will engage people on a personal level, just as Jesus did and leave them in a far better situation than enabling someone to live a lifestyle dependent on the handouts of others. They will find a way to offer the downtrodden a sense of integrity, honor and humility that most people desire and deserve.
My prayer for Conley’s is they reconsider their plans to be more beneficial and biblically founded instead of attempting to repeat the same failed plans used by secular organizations.
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