[21twelve]

I didn't read the article, but a church I had gone to a few times in college, the pastor dressed as a beggar, sat in the pews, then “interrupted” the service and gave a talk. I don't recall much of what he said (30+ years ago now) - just the uneasiness of it at first, then the well-stated message he gave, and then he left. Looking back now I'm not sure if the regular members could tell it was their pastor or not. But he was not miss-treated.

I recall the time I went to a small-town church having been on the road, no showers, sleeping in my clothes and hung-over. Got plenty of treats and conversation at coffee hour, and then invited to the picnic lunch afterwards.

On the other hand, lots of homeless people take advantage of the church's generosity. In my suburban town there is a organized effort of all the churches to go over the “homeless” or “poor” people's names and their requests. Some of them keep popping up over and over again, alias, etc.

All a scam. Folks calling for $50 to help pay their electrical bill. We would offer to pay the entire thing for them - come in with the bill and we'll write a check for the entire $238.97 and even put the stamp on it and mail it for you. Very rarely would someone come in.

We did have vouchers for the fast-food joints down in town so at least if they were begging for money we could give them something that hopefully would go to good use rather than directly supporting any bad habits they might have.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

Yes, congregations should be attentive to the whole counsel of God, which includes awareness of the perverse nature of fallen men (e.g., John 2:23-25). Having practices that filter out the grifters and frauds from access to church beneficence is not a slam on the poor any more than having security measures and audits in banks and other repositories of wealth is a display of undue suspicion of the well-to-do. People from both groups need to be accountable.

Giving cash to beggars is easier than inviting them home or to a nearby eatery for a meal together, but is reinforcing bad behavior, not helping them. Likewise for shelling out cash to clever con artists, when it could be directed to those truly in need by doing some simple verifications of the sort you mention.

[AppyPappy]

One thing I have learned is that people who ask for money are rarely helped by it.

[Eagles6]

True. And one would be foolish not to realize that the vast majority of homeless are mentally ill, have substance abuse problems, are criminals and are a threat being around women, kid, the elderly.