"For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room, I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit. I was in prison and you visited me."

"And the King shall say to them, "I'm telling you the truth; whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored - you did it to me."

YOCHANAN-MAKABI (MARK) 12:30

"Love others as you would love yourself"

If you could follow these tenents in everything that you do, all would be well. I started another page with the above Bible verses but I thought they needed to be repeated. This page is a list of suggestions how churches can show compassion to individuals in their community or individuals in their comgregations.

At some United Methodists churches, there are signs posted at the exits of their parking lots that read "You are now entering the Mission Field". A large amount of people who look upon these signs see in their minds missionaries that go around the world using words either spoken or written to witness to people and express their religious beliefs but I like to say that you can be a missionary to people in your own town through your actions. In the Jewish religion, there is a thought or commandment that says that each one of us should do something to Tekun Olahm (Heal the World). It is commanded that we must do something to help correct and solve the problems of the world.

There is an old saying that says that "Actions speak louder than words". Another old saying goes that "You have to Walk the Walk and not just Talk the Talk." Also, another saying goes "G-d Words without G-d Actions don't mean squat."

That is quite true for actions reflect what a person truly believes in. Words can be spoken without not much thought behind them but most often it takes quite a bit of thought to come up with the best kind of action.

I have to look back on several comments recorded for history which Ben Franklin said when he walked upon this world.

"The Scriptures assured him that at the Last Days we will be judged not on what we thought (spoke) but on what we did."

"That I want not to destroy any religion in any man but I wish it to be more of charity, kindness, and mercy not just the attending of long services, the saying of long prayers, and the hearing of long sermons. If this was all that there is to a man's religion, it would be like a tree being proud to be pruned and watered but not producing any fruit."

The last saying seems to end quite harshly but the sentiments behind it are quite true. Most people who attend church services seem to be just bumps on a log. They tend to be "Sunday-morning Christians" and are not willing to go any farther in showing their faith. A lot of "so-called Christians" go to church to be entertained. They want to get a fill-up of "feel goodliness" and this is supposed to last them the whole week until they attend the next service.

Some of you might feel that I mean to say that you should just get involved with a service organization either religious or secular that help people but I mean to say that we should get involve with the people around us. We live in a society where people don't even know the people who either live in the next apartment or floor of the building you live in or the next house or street in the neghborhood where you live at. We sit down next to people in the pews or rows of the religious organizations that we attend not knowing anything about that person or what their needs might be. We want to strive for a personal relationship with our Creator but balk at having a personal relationship with the people around us.

Here is a list of ways that churches can show compassion. Hopefully, this list might give a spark in somebody's mind at a church that doesn't really show compassion.

Three - Handshake Rule : Make sure that all new-comers to the church whether they be guest of church members or visitors get handshakes from three different members of the church before the service starts. I have this rule in my mind when I go to a new church. If I'm not given those three handshakes before the first song is sung or the welcome is expressed, I tend to feel not really welcome. There are some churches that have a corporate "Greeting Time" during the service when people go around shaking hands but this doesn't work out all of the time. I've been ignored most often. When I do get a handshake it might be a quick one without any feeling behind it. There are sometimes when somebody shakes my hand while they talk to somebody either to the side or me or behind me.

Greeting gifts : Some churches have the ushers hand out information packets to visitors or at the end of the service the visitors might be given a logoed coffee mug or pen. What I found is much nicer is a gift made by a church member. I remember some churches who hand out small mini-loaves of bread or banana bread. These can be frozen. Usually, several dozen loaves can last a church a month.

The making of quilts : When I visited a Methodist church in Harlem, TX, I was happy to hear that the ladies of the church had made lap quilts for the shut-ins of the church and the people in the local nursing home. The talk of the quilts was on the Sunday before Easter. There wasn't going to be a regular Easter morning service at the church. Instead, the quilts were going to be placed on the prayer rails and draped over the pews and they were going to be dedicated to the L-RD before they were given out.

Item Collecting : This could be a lot of things collected. It might be food collected for a food bank that the church runs or is a part of, collecting stuffed animals, or the collection of clothes.

With the collecting of food, backets are placed around the church and items needed are listed in the church bulletin. There is one church that I came across that has a once a month "Wagon Sunday". On that Sunday, most of the congregation members bring in food items and they are placed in a string of little red wagons. After the offering is taken, these wagons are pulled down the aisle to the altar as the ushers bring up the collection plates and the wagons and the food is blessed.

With the collecting of stuffed animals I came across one church that spent several months collecting stuffed bears of all sizes. Right before Christmas the bears were brought in the church and placed in the pews before the service. The congregation was instructed to pick up one or more of the bears and hold them throughout the service so that they can be "stuffed with love". The bears were later sent out to local hospitals to be given out to admitted children or children coming into the emergency room. Others were distributed to the ambulance service, local foster care programs, police stations, and sheriff departments.

Right before Christmas, I came across several "sock and glove" trees. New pairs of socks and gloves were collected and hung on Christmas trees instead of ornaments. These would then be distributed to the needy children in the area. Also, winter hats and scarves were collected.

At a Methodist Church in Alabama I came across several years ago around Thanksgiving, the church had racks of winter coats that they had collected. These coats were cleaned by congregation members or by a local laundry service. The coats were given out to anybody that needed one who attended the church's Thanksgiving dinner.

I guess one of the neatest ways that I have seen a church show compassion was when they took up a "Noisy Offering". Coffee cans were passed around the congregation and loose change was collected. This was a big thing for the kids since the change going into the cans made a lot of noise. The money that was collected is later distributed to a designated local charity or ministry. The offering could also be taken up to help a local family in need with unexpected expenses that could occur say like after their house burnt down. The idea behind the "noisy offering" was the Biblical story of the "Widow's Mites".

One of the best ways for a church to show compassion (especially to families in need) is to get involved with a local Interfaith Hospitality Network. This is a collection of churches that house families on a week-to-week basis. Churches usually transform unused Sunday school classes into bedrooms and bathrooms have showers installed. A good example of the Network is the one in Gaston County, North Carolina. There are 12 host churches. Typically, three or four familes, or a total of 14 people, are served during a one-week stay at a host church. Along with a place to stay and meals, the program also provides budgeting services, parenting skills' classes, and helping individuals with continuing education. The national program is called Family Promise. It has been in existence for almost 18 years.

This is just a short list of how a church can show compassion. More examples can be found on the "Church Hall of Fame" page.

Here are some ways that you can personally do "Servant Evangelism"

Outward Focused Ideas
1. Pay or reduce the bill for the person behind you in any line (DVD rental, grocery, post office, fast food, car wash, copy shop, Starbucks)

SERVICE WITH A SMILE
2. Vacuum out patrons’ cars at an automatic car wash – take quarters.
3. Get the kids together and sponsor a free dog wash in your neighborhood!
4. Do the neighbors’ yard work; plant flowers, mow grass, trim shrubs.
5. Take your neighbor’s trash to the curb and bring the empty container back afterwards.
6. Wash windshields for co-workers during your lunch hour.

FREE FOOD!
7. Super-size meals for the next several patrons at a fast food place. Leave a card with a restaurant worker or share the good news yourself.
8. Fill a cooler with water or sports drinks and pass them out during a community garage sale or event.
9. Send a pizza to a neighbor
10. Take someone or a family out for ice cream.
11. Bring a small gift basket of fruit and goodies to a neighbor who needs a boost.
12. Buy multi-packs of chewing gum, breath mints, or Jelly Belly’s at a discount store or warehouse club, then pass out the individual packs as you see people during the week who look like they need a smile.

NON-FOOD GIVE AWAYS
13. Share doggie treats with shoppers’ pets at a local pet store.
14. Give away sports drinks at a sporting event that doesn’t have a concession stand (t-ball, soccer, etc)
15. Surprise neighbors who don’t usually get the paper with a free one.
16. Give a pack of diapers to a new parent.
17. MEN: Visit a barber shop and pay for the haircut of the person in the chair next to you.
WOMEN: Next time you’re at the nail salon, see what color polish the person next to you likes and buy a bottle for them to take home.
18. Buy down the price of gasoline for the person beside you at the pump.
19. Tip your server in a BIG WAY (30% or more) and ask if there is anything you can pray for them.
20. Buy some small good-smelling bottles of lotion and give them out at a local nursing home.
21. Buy a bouquet of flowers or potted plant at the grocery store and give them away.
22. Send a bouquet of flowers to an out-of-town friend or person at work with a love note from God (and you!)
23. Give squirt guns or bubbles for a family with little kids.
24. Give away water bottles and/or granola bars at a bus stop.
25. Make a couple sheets of return address labels for a single parent you know.
26. Take quarters and some connect cards to a local laundromat. Consider offering your company to know the people you serve… it’s boring to just wait for the clothes to dry!

THE GIFT OF TIME
27. Visit a local nursing home or senior apartment complex and offer a small gesture of kindness (homemade art from the kids, hand lotion, tissues, flowers) and a listening ear. Bring the kids!
28. Write a handwritten note to someone you haven’t seen in a while and tell them something you appreciate about them.
29. Pick a local ministry near you and volunteer to pitch in.
30. Identify someone to take to lunch and just listen (and pick up the bill).
31. Contact someone who has done something significant in your life and thank them.
32. Give up an hour of your favorite TV show to serve someone instead.
33. Pray for your neighborhood. Walk around your neighborhood, silently praying God’s blessing for the people who live in the houses you pass.
34. Compliment 5 people on a character quality you see in them this week.