The Gray Monk

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January 07, 2005

Not a bad effort .....

There are definitely times when I am very proud to be a Christian, proud to be a member of a congregation with a big and open heart, and very proud to be part of a community that lives its values. Last night I got news that the Abbey congregation, which set up a collection point at the back of the Abbey and distributed leaflets around the town saying where and how and why, had collected from visitors, townsfolk, and members of the congregation a sum of over £12,000 for the tsunami victims in one week. Even better, in anticipation of being able to make this effort even more effective, our treasurer encouraged the teams to ask each visitor, if they are UK taxpayers, to fill out a Gift Aid envelope. The majority have done so, and this means that the Chancellor will be adding 28% to that donation!

None of this will be kept by the Abbey, itself cashstrapped; it will all go to the relief agencies. A donation point remains available in the Abbey, but has now moved to the Abbey Shop.

I am equally astonished by the effort of the people of Belfast who have raised £900,000 at the Cathedral, the Dean standing on the steps and inviting people to "pay and pray". In a move that also makes me incredibly proud to be a member of the fire services of the UK, the Northern Ireland Fire Authority's FBU members have cleared their "Hardship Fund" collected to help members during the strike and written a cheque which they handed to the Dean, for £50,000 - probably the biggest single private cheque anyone has received.

The effort at Tewkesbury, a community considerably smaller than Belfast, is on top of the fact that collections are being made in every shop in the town and yet numerous people have made the effort to walk to the Abbey, even if they are not regular members of the congregation, to make a donation, light a candle, and stop for a prayer. It has been a remarkable and very humbling experience with some truly sacrificial giving by many of these visitors. This is what the Gospel is all about, helping one another, ensuring that those in need receive the help they need. All of humanity suffers when any one of us suffers - and God is there to comfort us and suffer with us.

To those who ask, where is God in all this pain, I say this; He is there beside you, He is there in Sri Lanka, in Indonesia, in Thailand, and all the other afflicted communities. He is also right here with us as we give to the aid charities, as we pray, and as we weep for the bereaved and the lost. His grace is visible in the outpouring of generosity that has seen the British public give directly (and many of those who have given at the Abbey have also given online or in other ways as well) over £60 million. He will be with us, too, in the difficult days ahead as we try to repair the damage and to rebuild the lives of those at the heart of it.

"O put thy trust in God: for I will yet give him thanks, which is the help of my countenance, and my God."

Posted by The Gray Monk at January 7, 2005 02:21 PM

Comments

Posted by: Russell Newquist at January 8, 2005 05:42 PM