Tuesday Morning on the Coast

Last night a group of about 45 arrived from San Diego, California. Many of them are teenagers. We should be able to help a lot of people for the rest of the week with this crew. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Also last night I had a great Bible discussion with a friend and someone who was recently baptized. I can tell that he is a real 'thinker'. He is willing to ask tough questions, which is awesome. I was trying to remember the last time someone asked me questions like his, and it has been a while. Thanks, Jeff, for making me stir up some stuff in my mind I haven't had to look at in a while. Good Bible discussions keep us fresh and digging in the Word! I appreciated the following e-mail from one of our members: "Let's just hope if we are changing more into His likeness that it never ends! I used to mention being a member of the Church of Christ to fellow work mates only to hear them say...."I don't think I ever heard of them!" Now when I mention Church of Christ they will say...." I think I would like to know more about them! They are really doing a great effort to help people from what I hear!" In a conversation Margaret and I had yesterday, we talked about the depression that most people are undergoing, including us. She said to me, "I'm glad you said that." We discussed how that we, the church, have not really talked about that a lot. Last night I received an e-mail from a friend who said the same thing - that we are not acknowledging the depression that so many are going through. In my opinion, the best way to deal with it is by serving others. That's a coping mechanism that has helped me - although it does not make the depression go away. We have faced a severe event that has a greater impact than we know. I appreciate the reminders that we need to talk about these things more, and try to understand how various people cope with them. In a recent e-mail someone asked about church finances and the donations that have been received. All hurricane relief donations are earmarked for hurricane relief - they do not go into our regular church funds. The offering that is collected each week is still the means by which Central church of Christ functions. The hurricane relief activities are paid for separately. When I visit churches and talk to them about what we are doing, they sometimes send me home with a check made out to the church. That check goes into hurricane relief - generally buying building materials and supplies. As a church wrecked by a hurricane, there would be nothing wrong with us using some of those funds to help us get back on our feet, but that is not what we are doing now. Area churches are using hurricane relief funds to build storage facilities to prepare for future disasters, and also to fund church programming. Each church has to decide the best use of the funds they have recieved. In our case, two churches sent a grant for ministerial support. One church sent a contribution to our general church fund for five months. Any other funds that come in are earmarked for hurricane relief. I understand the concerns on these matters, and I try to be open with the details as much as possible. I hope your Tuesday is a great one.