#4SERMON YOU WON'T HEAR

     Last Sunday the sermon started with the 2 commandments given by Christ as the most important. "Love God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself."  The sermon went on from there asking us to follow these commandments.  The sermon you did not hear was love your neighbor that agrees with you and lives at the same social level or higher. Don't worry about those that you don't see or need your help to survive. This is the way most of us live today and cannot see all of the people around us that are poverty stricken or in need of medical care that they cannot afford. We hide from the addicted and those that have little or no education because of where they grew up or the lack of family when they were children. We don't see those that work hard but earn less than they need to buy food, rent and clothing. They may give up food to pay for rent or medicine and have little chance of a better life style. 

#3 SERMONS YOU WON'T HEAR

     I heard 2 sermons last week, one on Christmas Eve and the other on Sunday. Both were very good with the first about the Jesus birth story and how it was a lot messier than we depict it today and the second about taking Jesus with us as we leave Church and let others see him through us. Another Christmas story was on the news and told about the family that was shopping in Walmart but their credit card was rejected. The woman ahead of them overheard the  problem and paid for their purchases. It was a nice story and gave the family a better Christmas than they would have had otherwise. 

HOMELESS AND THE CITY

     Some time ago I wrote a blog about whom the homeless were and how we are treating them. Since then there numbers have grown all over the country including my city. A little background about this issue is that I am and have been for 17 years on the board of a free medical clinic that treats those that have no insurance or Medicade patients that have no where else to go. About 10% of the homeless population are clients that we treat along with many of the legal aliens here for the university that are not eligible for Obama Care. For the last 3 years the city of Morgantown has been trying to get us to move our facilities out of the city as they believe the homeless will follow. They have succeeded in getting the Salvation Army to move their food kitchen which feed many of the homeless and also the United Way food pantry along with sleeping facilities for the homeless. We are the last holdouts but not for long. The city has offered $800.000 for us to buy another building out of the city and move from the present location in the city. We would have to agree to also move our Friendship House out of the city which is a place for people to receive aid in rehabilitation from drug and alcohol use. The money is coming from their Covid relief funds. There is no money for our operating costs which are derived from donations, the state, county and grants. Much of our care is given by volunteers.