Posted on 11/19/2011 4:06:52 PM PST by Dr. Eckleburg
Next Thursday, as the rest of us tuck into our turkey feasts, hundreds of needy families in Southern California will open "Boxes of Love." Delivered by several churches led by Pacific Crossroads in Santa Monica, Calif., the boxes contain ingredients for a Thanksgiving meal for six. They allow impoverished families to skip food lines and neighborhood pantries and enjoy the holiday in their own homes.
What's unusual about the Pacific Crossroads congregation—and what underpins efforts such as Boxes of Love—is its theologically conservative raison d'être. A member church of the Presbyterian Church in America, Pacific Crossroads is committed to Reformation doctrines such as total depravity (every person is born sinful) and limited atonement (salvation is available only to the elect). These beliefs are typically regarded as ugly and inhumane by American culturati. Yet the church's pastor, Rankin Wilbourne, is happy to pepper his sermons with references to Bono and "Jersey Shore," and the church has grown to around 1,500 members from 500 in three years.
Rev. Wilbourne and his staff created an umbrella agency called Hope for LA in 2008. Since then it has partnered with 18 other programs around Los Angeles, some with religious affiliations and some without. Through Hope for LA, Pacific Crossroads members can choose volunteer opportunities that best suit their interests and strengths. One such ministry is Boxes of Love.
"We got the idea from Here's Life Inner City, a ministry of Campus Crusade," says the director of Hope for LA, David Kleinknecht, about the origins of Boxes of Love. "And as the economy went south and they had to cut back in L.A., we took on the coordination of mobilizing well-resourced churches to fill boxes and delivering them with the help of inner-city churches." No coincidence: The founder of Here's Life Inner City was...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Post Tenebras Lux - After darkness, light.
All glory to God.
"Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it. -- 1 Thessalonians 5:24
I know one thing I’m VERY thankful for: YOU’RE BACK! It’s SO GOOD to see you posting again :)
God Bless,
smvoice
Yet the church's pastor, Rankin Wilbourne, is happy to pepper his sermons with references to Bono and "Jersey Shore," and the church has grown to around 1,500 members from 500 in three years.
Not only does he have bad taste, his wife is not up to Tammy Faye or Jan Crouch standards. We must pony up enough funds to send her a trowel for her makeup. And the hair? Bleach blonde is one thing, but it is nowhere near high enough. The higher the hair, the closer to God, you know.
God bless them for their charity.
Four posts before a post to take it off topic.
You’re slacking.
The love of Christ in action.
You'll have to blame God. I was predestined to do it.
A friend's home saved from burning during the Reno Urban Wildfire yesterday and today, hearing from a precious sister-in-Christ that has been so missed.
In regard to the WSJ article, I believe that the reason for the failure of government run social programs and the lack of accountability is that the government has taken over the work of the church from afar. No one is blessed in these transactions.
"Finally, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, dozens of church members take the boxes to the doors of families in need". Both parties are blessed.
Dr. E., so glad to see you back.
Dr. E!!!!
So GREAT to see you back!!!
Great post....
Hoss
That’s your opinion.
The Current FReepathon Pays For The Current Quarters Expenses?
What a great idea! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
I think what surprises me about this article is the idea that the action taken is uncommon, and that non-Calvinists don’t give to the needy.
Oh well. Guess God in his sovereign will blinded them to the Baptists and Catholics who help the poor.
It is kind of like the joke about a man who is given a tour of heaven. He meets folks of many denominations, but then is given slippers and told to make no noise. After creeping past a walled section, he is told he can speak again.
“What was that all about?”, he asks.
“That is the Baptist section. We keep it quiet because they think they are the only ones here...”
Calvinists invented Thanksgiving. Of course we are going to be the best celebrators of it!
And a nasty misogynist post, at that. No surprise there.
The headline says that "charity and predestination go hand in hand". Is that to imply that predestination is a prerequisite for the exercise of charity?
Perhaps "da Godfather" was a member of the elect, too.
Well greetings Dr.E. and so nice seeing your name in lights once again...you have been missed more than you know. Now things will get back to normal! ;)
Looks like someone is serving up a heaping helping of hypocrisy for Thanksgiving. When you feed the poor you are ridiculed and scoffed at for useless corporal works of mercy.
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