Purpose Driven – Body Parts

by Patrick Geltinge

When I started this blog, I wanted to do more than provide another online conduit for Christian-tinged news — something more than talking about wayward pastors and politics and the latest internal church scuffle. 

Now, those issues and news flashes and informational tidbits are important to me, and it’s stuff I’ll always feel compelled to write about on this blog. But so often, the faith-related “news” we hear about misses the point: We hear about the embezzling pastor, but rarely about the thousands of ministers who saves a congregant on the brink of sin or divorce or despair. We hear about the fractious church, but rarely about the countless churches that provide much needed emotional, spiritual and often financial aid to those in need. I want this blog to give readers just a glimpse of what the body of Christ is really up to.

In order to do so, I’ve decided to issue an “O.J. Award” every Friday, when it’s applicable.

The award’s named after the Bible’s “Other James,” a guy who was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples but was so obscure that we don’t exactly know who he was. These days, we sometimes refer to him by the unflattering moniker of James the Less (to distinguish him from “James the Greater,” who Jesus seemed to take with him everywhere), but here’s the deal: He was a guy who worked for Jesus and did so in the thankless shadows, as so many Christians do. Recipients of the O.J. Award, like the Other James himself, could care less about publicity or honorariums or what-have-you: They’re doing what they’re called to do, and they do so out of the spotlight. Giving them an award, frankly, strikes me as a little paradoxical.

Another paradox: For me to issue an O.J. Award, I’ll have to hear about it somehow, and that means–at least initially — that the week’s “winner” has done something to attract some press attention. And this week’s winner — Bay Community Church in St. Daphne, Ala., — is no exception.

Bay Community snagged the attention of the Associated Press by giving out envelopes filled with cash to its congregants — “faith stimulus money,” as it were — during a recent weekend. Congregants, in turn, were to use the money to help someone else in need.

Though Bay Community shelled out $50,000 for its faith stimulus project, the money wasn’t overwhelming on an envelope-by-envelope basis. Most contained just $10, though some held as much as $100. The goal was really to help congregants understand the importance of giving.

“This is about creating a mindset,” leaders said on the church’s Web site. “We don’t `go’ to church, we `are’ the church. What can we do to bless our community?”

The church’s site has since been loaded with stories of how congregants have used their money. One envelope went to a down-on-their-luck couple. Another was given to a charity geared to help a very sick 7-year-old boy. The stories scroll on and on, each one as touching as the last.

Are the folks at Bay Community spending enough to cure cancer? Feed the world? No, of course not. But they’re making a difference, a person at a time. And they’re learning valuable lessons about charity themselves. And for that, Bay Community Deserves a big, hearty  squeeze. 

Know of a person or organization who’s doing God’s work quietly and sincerely? Let me know by dropping me a line at pabodyparts@gmail.com. I’d love to hear about them.