Downtown church of Christ - Benevolence Ministry

Call the church office at 268-5383 for benevolence assistance.

The dictionary defines benevolence as "the disposition to do good; charitableness; the love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness." As Christians, we know that benevolence is more than a simple act of kindness, it is the work of Christ.

There are times when we are called to love, expecting nothing in return - times when we are called to give, never expecting even a word of thanks. This call is Christian service prompted by duty...this is the call of discipleship.

The Downtown Church is known as a group of Christians who love the Lord and are willing to help others. Calls for assistance are a daily occurrence at Downtown - people with real needs and unbelievable hardship - children of God who may have no where else to turn. Often, these calls are from members of other churches in our community who have no benevolence program. Downtown is known throughout this community as a congregation that is willing to help.

The current budget for benevolence is $10,000 per year, which is used to assist families with rent, utilities, medication, clothing and other essentials. Often, these funds are used to keep families with children from having their heat turned off or a sister or brother from being evicted from their home. A food pantry is also available for those who have a need for assistance.

Announcements in the bulletin are used to alert members when the pantry is bare. Throughout the year, we also ask for special contributions to help for particular needs when they arise, either in the Auditorium or in adult Bible classes. When there is a need, the Downtown family has a tradition of generosity - of following Christ's example in caring for our fellow man.

Although the formal benevolence program at Downtown is an active, busy ministry, there is no way to measure the actual amount of assistance that this church family provides to each other and our community. So many members give privately to help one another - we could never venture to guess what the dollar amount would be.

We are taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and we are called by Christ to serve others - to love our brother as Christ loved us. We pray that we will see people with a need as Jesus would see them. We pray for the Lord to open our eyes to the hurt in the world, for God to use us to do His work and for those that are in need to see Christ in us.

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