Posted on 12/01/2001 4:41:40 AM PST by Pharmboy
December 1, 2001
THE DONATIONS
At Edge of Ground Zero, Gospel and Giving
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
The preacher from Kentucky went store to store on the edge of ground zero, an understanding look in his eyes and money in his pockets.
He chatted. He listened to hard luck tales. He said, "We'd like to help out." Then he cut the checks — $1,500 to Muyang Jo at the deli, $2,000 to Salvatore Borgognone at the pizzeria, $2,300 to Grace Koh at the children's clothing store. And he wrote "Jesus loves you" on the bottom left- hand corner of each one.
The preacher, Dave Stone of Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, is part of a loose-knit alliance of evangelical clergy members in the midst of handing out nearly $850,000 in World Trade Center relief. So far, more than $100,000 has gone to small- business owners and employees hurting in the aftermath of the terrorist attack.
The idea is to give immediate financial help, along with a message of Christian love, without the due diligence of more established charities. The recipients are asked only to sign a sheet of paper with their name and the amount.
The money is being distributed by evangelical pastors in the New York area marshaled by "Go Ye" Chapel Mission Inc., an organization in Central Islip, N.Y., that helps establish independent churches. The funds, from donations from around the country, are also going to relatives of the victims and other people.
The biggest donation — $480,000, to be exact — came from a single weekend's collection by Southeast Christian, a socially conservative mega- church of 18,000 members, one of the largest congregations in the country.
Mr. Stone, Southeast Christian's associate pastor, came up from Louisville yesterday to lend a hand. Jeff Butler, pastor of Christ's Church of the City, a small evangelical congregation on the Upper East Side, was his guide. It was a day of slowly creeping smiles, of stares of disbelief, of prayers mingling with the sounds of jackhammers.
At Koh's Kids on Greenwich Street, the owner's jaw dropped lower and lower as Mr. Stone explained he was going to hand over a check for $2,300, the back rent on her store.
"We just wanted to spend God's love," he said.
"Thank you, I'll do good things," Ms. Koh answered, her eyes tearing. They hugged.
Sometimes it was not so easy to give the money away. Employees at a Mail Boxes Etc. down the street said they had not lost salary, so nothing was offered. Mr. Jo, the deli owner, said he wanted to check with his accountant first.
One businessman on Murray Street had sought out the ministers, but he was gently put off. Seems he went into the wrong profession: tavern owner. Mr. Stone did not want to promote alcohol drinking.
Mr. Borgognone had heard about a visit by Mr. Butler to a nearby store so he telephoned to arrange a meeting. But he seemed unsure about what was going on. "You guys with a church? Catholic? Protestant?" he said. The churches were nondenominational, Mr. Stone explained.
"Right, nondenominational," Mr. Borgognone said, his heavy New York accent a contrast to Mr. Stone's mild twang.
Then it was check time. "I just want to let you know we love you," Mr. Stone said, offering a prayer.
"Yeah, that's fine, that's great," Mr. Borgognone said.
After Mr. Butler asked God to bless his business, Mr. Borgognone let fly with a hail of thank yous, and a dinner invitation for Mr. Stone and his family in Staten Island anytime.
Despite the prayers and invocations of Jesus, the pastors said there were no strings attached to the donations. "We wanted to give a cold cup of water in the name of Jesus," Mr. Stone said. "This is being given to advance the Gospel. We want people to know that this might help temporarily, this money, but we want you to know this will help you eternally."
Preachers from around the country have gravitated to ground zero, offering New Yorkers prayers and pamphlets and apocalyptic warnings. The handouts, along with helping people, are another way of spreading the evangelical message.
The evangelical churches are among innumerable religious sources of charity for the World Trade Center victims. Religious giving is one stream of the more than $1.3 billion raised so far for victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The portion from religious institutions is impossible to quantify, but experts familiar with Sept. 11 giving say the response has been comparable to the outpouring from secular donors.
Among the larger denominations, Catholic Charities U.S.A. so far has raised $14 million, routing the donations through local Catholic Charities agencies. The Salvation Army movement said it has given direct assistance of $5.2 million. The Tzu Chi Foundation, a worldwide Buddhist relief organization, has made more than $1.5 million in grants.
United Jewish Communities, the main philanthropic umbrella group for Jewish agencies and federations, has promised $1.5 million to its New York federation and given $300,000 to agencies outside of the city.
For rest of the story and pictures, please click on Source above
When you walk around the Ground Zero area, you can hear choirs singing and preachers preaching. I never knew that they came with so much green in their pockets.
Thank you "Flyover Country" (also known as the "Red Area") for thinking of the New Yorkers in need.
No relative of allah!
Just wanted to be sure nobody on FR missed this paragraph.
Not only in the New York Times, but on page one. I had your reaction too. But, I will say this about the Times: in the last year or so I have noticed a distinct turn to the center in their reportage--not their op-ed page. This is not to say that they do not publish any more leftist-trashy stuff, but we are ocassionally getting pieces these days that would have NEVER been published two or three years ago.
Why? I dunno. My guess is that their numbers are falling and they notice FoxNews rising. They're doing the math and becoming more resposive and responsible. Let's hope so, anyway.
A Southern Baptist Blessed Bump!
Some groups have astronomical administrative costs, and it hard to be a good steward and give to them.
I know, as a Southern Baptist, that 100% of anything that I give ear-marked for disaster relief will go to disaster relief. I know that 100% of anything I give this Christmas season to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering will go overseas on the International Mission Field. I know that 100% of anything I give to Southern Baptist Hunger relief will be used to feed hungry people. When we collect for a specific need, we are assured that 100% of the funds collected will be used for the stated purpose. Administrative costs are borne via the vehicle of the Cooperative Program, a mechanism that has served the SBC well for over 75 years.
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