"Blind Joni" wrote in message
...
I'm not saying anyone has to be like anyone else...just that in my
understanding one of the functions of local churches is to help people in
need.
Mine does. Battered women..unwed mothers with no families..etc. Just one
part
of a big puzzle that can use all the help it can get.

I'd somewhat disagree that it's not really the local church that does the
work, it's the people that make up the church. The church just facilitates
the functions by having people of like minds meet and have the use of the
building and such. Now I admit that, in my case, most of the effort evolved
from the hard work of Reverend Balcomb (who performed the marriages of all
the local Normans, except my parents - and let me play the church organ
almost whenever I wanted to). But again, it wasn't the mandate of the
church because prior to Rev. Balcomb, the church never participated in such
things. In fact, it mostly looked down on unwed mothers, etc. It took a
new leader of the church to actually change things around from being a hell
and damnation type of church with virtually no love for anyone, to one of a
high degree of civic minded duty. And in a small community, it took about
10 years before people became used to the idea of a church doing something
good for the community in the first place.

--


Roger W. Norman
SirMusic Studio