Some thoughts about solicitations at church

Maybe it’s happened to you: You are coming into St. Andrew’s for a service or volunteering at the front desk or just chatting with a friend in the lobby, and someone comes up to you to ask for money.  You don’t know the person, but he or she has a compelling story and definitely looks needy.  What should you do?

My reply may surprise you:  Say a silent prayer, introduce yourself, ask the person’s name, express your concern about their situation, invite them to enjoy St. Andy’s Café, but please don’t give the person money.  Instead, offer them one of the “Seeking Help?” papers from the tract racks in the Main Street Lobby, which list contact information for LINK, THRIVE, and several other local agencies.  Why?  Because LINK and THRIVE are far better equipped than we are (or at least than I am) to ascertain how best to help someone asking for aid, which is why our parish partners with them and provides financial and other support for their ministries.  Usually when a person is asking for money there are a number of underlying issues that need to be addressed.  I trust our friends at LINK and THRIVE to be able to assess the situation. 

Some of the folks who come to St. Andrew’s seeking help have been here numerous times before but have not been willing to work with LINK or THRIVE.  If we give them the cash they are seeking, we enable them to continue to avoid doing some important internal work that might actually resolve some of their financial problems. 

I know that it’s hard to say, “No” to these requests.  It is for me, too.  In my car I carry brochures with contact information for THRIVE and LINK and other agencies, and I offer bottled water and granola bars to folks who come to my window asking for help.  I tell them that I don’t give out cash because I donate regularly to the agencies on the paper, who are better equipped to help them than I am.  And it’s true. 

Anne +