Pastor John's Corner- November 2009

November has arrived and that brings the beginning of Daylight Savings time, colder weather, Thanksgiving and the onset of your Christmas shopping --- and the first Sunday of Advent. It is a month of change.

It seems that about the first of November each year, the American society begins to have a collective sense of guilt and compassion. You will soon be receiving all kinds of mail telling you about the hungry and the desperate. The pictures will be of people dressed in rags and obviously homeless. Quite frankly, most of this is just effective marketing designed to reach some level of sympathy and a higher level of your checkbook. Are there good causes out there? --- Yes; but --- before you start sending out checks, do a little research and find out how much of your money is really going to overhead for some organization and how much of your donation goes to actually benefit those you intend it to.

If all of the above makes me sound harsh and hard, --- I’m certainly not. I do however hate the fact that it often seems the only time this country gets a collective conscience is when people start feeling guilty for all they are about to eat. That’s not the spirit of Thanksgiving nor is it the spirit of Christian love.

I do sincerely hope you will take every opportunity to recognize the desperation that many people in this country are finding in themselves this year. People who last year were donating to others are now finding themselves is the line waiting for free food from a food bank. By all means, give please support our local Lord’s Pantry. Take note of and support the First Presbyterian Church 2009-10 Winter Clothing and Blanket Collection. Clean out that section of your closet where the clothes shrunk on their hangers since last year and give them to someone else. Support Operation Christmas Child, give to our Blessings Jar, or drop a little in the Salvation Army bucket each time you pass one. Have a generous Thanksgiving.

Yours in Christ,


Pastor John