Just facts:
1) Large churches often donate a gift to every kid in a chosen public school during the holidays.
2) There are children of many economic backgrounds in our nation's public schools.
3) Giving to those who have no need is potentially wasteful of said gift.
4) Donations and giving to non-profits and community assistance organizations is at an all-time low this year.
5) More people are without jobs, and even homes this year.
6) More children this year, than any other year in recent memory, will be entirely without a Christmas.
7) Applications for holiday help for families are at an all-time high this year.
8) Extravagance and wealth are not signs of Godliness, but rather, compassion and thoughtfulness are.
9) Due to churches buying gifts for entire schools, many children will get extra gifts that they do not want or need, while other children in the same local area go completely without during the holidays.
10) Giving high-dollar items to random children who might not need them instead of helping out the poor during the holidays confuses many people, and makes some who work, volunteer, or even get assistance from the cash-strapped local assistance organizations disappointed and sometimes angry.
Now for the opinions:
1) Buying a bicycle for a poor child who doesn't have one: Great
2) Buying a bicycle for a middle-class child who has an electrified Razor scooter and a massive trampoline in their backyard: silly and rude to the kids who have nothing.
1) Giving a small token gift to all of the school-aged children in your local area through a carnival or other public festival: Generous and kind
2) Singling out only the students at a single public school to receive a large gift: preferential and prejudicial.
And for what prompted this:
Someone who asked on Facebook, what her associates thought a church had gotten for her children's entire school that was "big and heavy" and might require a truck to move, especially if a mom had several children in that school...
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the topic.
2 comments:
I was upset about the church giving to "public school" children no matter of their need. What about children outside of public school who have little for Christmas? And I have to say some middle class kids don't have electric razor scooters. The first year I heard about the church (and we go to one who did this) giving a new bike to every kid at a particular school my son was without a bike and we had no money to buy one. I had friends with a child in that school who have a lot more than we do and their kid got a free bike. It was hard to explain to my child. I've often wondered why this particular church doesn't give to people in the church whose kids don't have a lot or have nothing instead of just going to the public schools over and over again.
btw, my son has a bike now, we found one at a thrift store that he is very happy with.
Oh, I agree completely, Mom to the mighty Zman!
There are a good many middle-class kids who don't have big holidays either due to the economy's craziness at the moment.
I also agree with you on giving within the church. Outreach is great, but the church supports itself and it's members first, or at least that is what I always thought a church home was for.
I'm sorry your child had to endure that unfairness, especially from your own church. That had to have been hard for him.
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