Pages from our Outreach Note
August 10, 2003
Every
January, congregations of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) across
the country are asked to submit a report to our general office in Indianapolis,
giving an account of our previous year’s activity. We are asked to count the
number of baptisms, the average worship attendance, how much we have spent on
capital improvements, and how much we have spent in operating our church. They
also want to know about our outreach ministry, described only in a dollar
amount.
National
Avenue Christian has an exemplary track record in support of outreach causes,
both within the Disciples of Christ ministries and in other arenas. We add up
the support given to outreach from our church budget, from Christian Women’s
Fellowship, and from our Outreach Foundation, which adds up to about $100,000 a
year. We don’t usually count support given directly by Sunday School classes
to various causes. Nor do we attempt to estimate the cash value of the tons of
food we collect and take to Crosslines each year. After all, the point of
outreach is not to come up with an impressive number, but to sincerely do our
best to embody the kind of compassion to which we are called in the Christian
gospel.
Still,
there are other arenas of giving which would be difficult to put a dollar figure
on even if we wanted to. How much is it worth to our community that we give
meeting space to so many civic and service groups in Springfield? And what is
the cash value of the volunteer and leadership given by staff and members of the
church to the many benevolence agencies where we serve? But even more difficult
would be any attempt at quantifying the value of a more profoundly personal form
of service which comes when members decide to give blood to save the lives of
total strangers in medical emergencies in our community.
The Bible
is full of blood imagery, from Old Testament sacrifices to the sacrament of
Christian Communion. We know that blood carries huge spiritual symbolic value as
a sign of life, a threat of death, of blessing, and of sacrifice. That imagery
should not escape us when we are asked to volunteer a part of ourselves,
literally fruit of our own bodies, to show compassion to those who are in need.
It does not cost us a dollar, nor do we receive any financial reward for this
gift. Still, there is no way to place a dollar value on it. Blood cannot be
manufactured in a lab. There is no artificial blood, no blood substitute. For
those who are in need of human blood, their lives depend upon the anonymous
generosity of compassionate people.
Lots
of people cannot give blood because of health, age, or even because of a history
of traveling in third world countries. However, those who can donate blood
should never turn easily aside from the request. It is a sign of who and what we
are - caring Christian people. As
the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Galatia, “So then, whenever we
have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those
of the family of faith.” When we are given the opportunity to
give blood on August 24, please
let all those who can do so in the spirit of Christian service.
National Avenue
Christian Church
1515 South National Avenue
Springfield, Missouri 65804
417/869-9176
fax: 417/869-7256
e-mail: natlave@sbcglobal.net