A good example of love in action

Just yesterday I received the following e-mail from a person who has posted on this blog:

. . . I have been reading & enjoying your blog & have recently commented on the Anabaptist church. I have noticed that you have written often about the Immigration laws that are being introduced in Arizona. My church here in Americus GA has just started working with the Alterna community in La Grange GA which is working with the immigration detention center in Lumpkin GA. The Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin is now that biggest detention center in the US. At least 2,000 men are detained there. The detainees come from all over the Southeast, as far north as NC, as far west as TX, all of FL, & everywhere in between. The Alterna community has started a hospitality house for families visiting their loved ones & has started humanitarian visits. Many Catholic, Mennonite, & other Churches from Atlanta, Americus, & La Grange have been working to help in this effort. . . .

I just thought you would want to know about what is happening just over the GA state line. . . . If you would want more info check out www.alternacommunity.com , Anton Flores runs it & also works with Georgia Detention Watch. Just thought you would want to know.

I looked at the pages of Alterna. Some of them remind me of how the Jesus People would speak back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. If you cannot remember, I would suggest that you listen to some songs by Keith Green, and you will hear some of the same calls as Alterna makes. Melody Green carries on the ministry of her deceased husband to this day. If you go to that website, you will find that they run both a pro-life ministry, and also an orphanage in Mexico. That is the type of mixture that I like to see, that is, to carry out your pro-life beliefs in practical ways such as an orphanage. Or, as the Alterna community does, to point out that Jesus asks us to visit those in prison. I am always in favor of those who take an appropriate Christian stance, but then go out of their way to find a practical expression of love that gives evidence that their stance is not just a “head trip” [how is that for 1960’s slang?] but also a heart commitment.

There are many other ministries out there in which Christians do not simply speak, but also put their talk into action. Among the pro-life communities, Care Net is a wonderful example of a practical commitment to life. What is Care Net?

Each day, 3,300 women wake up in America believing abortion is the only realistic solution to an unplanned pregnancy. In this tragic decision, not only is a human life snuffed out, but a woman’s life is changed forever. Many have worked for years in the legal and public policy spheres to put an end to abortion. Care Net, however, seeks a more immediate route by supporting one woman at a time, to spare her and her unborn child the anguish of abortion. While legal efforts will continue for years to come, hundreds of lives are being saved everyday in and through the work of pregnancy centers.

I do not have to agree with every jot and tittle of the theological statements of these various ministries in order for me to encourage you to look around and find a ministry that you can support and be involved in. Did you notice that I said not only support, but also be involved in? You see, faith grows best when it is put into action. The role of works is not to earn your way into heaven. We Orthodox clearly have creed and statements that make that overwhelmingly clear. But, works are in synergy with faith. Faith and works feed into each other. Without works, your faith withers–and maybe even dies–and quickly becomes just a “head trip.” Without love, and faith, and hope, your works become just clanging empty cymbals that noisily call attention to yourself rather than glorifying God.

For those of you who are Orthodox, we have ministries such as Project Mexico that seeks to alleviate hunger and suffering among the poor in Mexico. I will point out that the more we are involved in project of this type, the less likely people are to cross the border in search of relief. There is also FOCUS North America if you wish to find Orthodox projects that you can support here. What is FOCUS North America? Well, let me tell you about a FOCUS ministry right here in Alabama:

The funds received from FOCUSNA enabled us to provide outreach to people who have never heard of Orthodoxy. We sponsor weekday Morning Prayer services, followed by a free medical clinic. Run by an Orthodox physician and nurse, the clinic cares for 1500 people a year. The people who attend the clinic are uninsured. Without the clinic, they would be without healthcare and medication. By receiving our baseline health services, the people not only attain improved health outcomes but also obtain attention for their spiritual wounds. The waiting room has free Orthodox books and icons. The clinic also serves as a training opportunity for disadvantaged college and high school students who want to enter the medical field. We are grateful for the FOCUSNA funds because they invigorated our promotion of Christ Crucified and the Holy Trinity. God bless, Dr. Carla Thomas.

You get the idea, do you not? Can you find ways to lovingly put your faith in action for those who are in prison, are sick, are poor, are homeless, need you in other ways, etc.?