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"A congregation WRESTING their way to a tough decision..they would sell their most valuable possession to shelter the homeless...."
"The building is in need of repair..."
"Four times as many homeless as 2 years ago..."
"agonizing choice....it's one treasure....a Tiffany stained glass window...worth about $75,000"
"It is a miracle....I think god is working in his way..."
Do we live on the same planet? This video and it's overly dramatic, "Twas the Night Before Christmas" style reading is laughable. I love the "heart string tugging" theatrics and overtstated emotional quandry.
Let me make it a little LESS dramatic, and paraphrase what happened here. The church in the spotlight contacted ABC news with a story that they were going to have to sell their Tiffany window if they wanted to shelter the homeless for Christmas. They broadcast the story in all of it's dramatic splendor. People began calling and donating money to the church. It was a miracle that they didn't have to sell a $75,000 window in a building that needs to be repaired.
*blink*
So, how many homeless did they shelter? Why has the homeless rate risen so drastically in the last 2 years? Why are their donations down? Where is the local member who can do drywall and painting, and is willing to help them out? Where do the homeless sleep the OTHER 364 days of the year?
Oh, never mind all of that, THE WINDOW HAS BEEN SAVED! It's a miracle! Hail jesus!
I just don't know how I could have laid my head on my pillow and fallen asleep tonight without knowing that another church didn't have to sell it's "most valuable posession" (funny, I thought that was their congregation itself) to help their community. I mean, what IS a church without a big gaudy stained glass window depicting someone with a halo holding a book, and pointing at nothing. Oh, that's right, it would be just another building full of people looking out regular windows. I get it now. It isn't a church without the window. It all makes sense.
If you took the window away, they would have to call themselves a "community center", or a building open to all members of the community where you can get rest, food, support and warm your hands and feet. But then that wouldn't be a church, now would it? Churches have membership dues. They only help non-members at certain times of year. They have to, after all, they are a business and you can't make money if you just GIVE it away!
Thank goodness they were able to save their window, otherwise people may accidentally stumble in there thinking it was something else. Whew! Close call, guys. Good thing god was workin' the phones and willing to air your story, or else the "Christmas Tiffany window worth $75,000" would have gone to lord only knows who. I bet...another church. Don't beat yourselves up over it, they just have a more business savvy congregation. You better straighten yourselves out though, I don't think god does repeat miracles. Next year you will have to sell the obnoxious pipe organ.
