Good Samaritans and Water
(Posted June 20, 2024)
A Good Samaritan is not simply one whose heart is touched in an immediate act of care and charity, but one who provides a system of sustained care. – James A. Forbes, Minister Emeritus, Riverside Church, Manhattan
It’s blazing hot-again. And, once again, we at First Church have started to think about all those people for whom the streets have become even more inhospitable than usual. It is time revive First Church’s Water Ministry, from that cooler on our front lawn where the water bottles are cold and free. It starts this week.
Who Uses Our Water Ministry?
Stand outside our landmark church on the corner of Deer Hill and West Street, and you’ll see them. Some of them, in fact many, are un-homed and cast out into the heat of the day to fend for themselves. Some of the people struggle in the heat of the day as part of their jobs – postal carriers, delivery people, people trudging up the hot hill, or runners trying to get their workout in before it becomes dangerously strenuous.
Adults and kids. Young and old.
Most of them are physically thirsty in the heat. All of them have a spiritual thirst met, whenever they see that THIS church cares about them enough to provide for the people’s thirst. ALL of the people, not just those we know. It’s like that story you know so well – the one about the Good Samaritan.
Who Was the Good Samaritan?
There are things you should keep in mind about that Good Samaritan.
- He was just one of three people who walked a public road and saw the man lying there after he’d been the victim of robbers.
- The two others before him were holy men, and they passed on by. They didn’t know him. After all, they were busy people with things to do. Why help out a stranger?
- But the Samaritan knew why. This man unknown to him was not a stranger, but an instant neighbor, who had met a fate anyone could have on that road.
The story goes like this:
… A Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.'
You see, it wasn’t just a one-time “wow I feel good about myself for helping” sort of thing.
A real Good Samaritan keeps helping the hurting, even at some personal cost. Last year when we started our Water Ministry, our staff committed to continue helping, even if it meant coming out to stock the cooler with water and ice on their own time. The response we received from the community was amazing.
Good Samaritans Who Help the Water Ministry
There were community people who wanted to be Samaritans too. Our church is no longer a wealthy church, and they seemed to know that. There were so many that would pick up an extra flat of bottled water and drop it at the church, or people who help run local restaurants and made sure we had ice for that cooler. All of it on their own time.
When our cooler went missing, three people offered to replace it! (We took one up on the offer, and asked the other two to stand by.)
We can take the bottles to recycling and retrieve enough money to provide even more water. Between ourselves and the rest of our Samaritans, we offer sustained care as long as the heat lasts.
Can you be part of our Water Ministry this Summer? All it takes is a kind heart that doesn’t let you ignore a chance to make a significant difference with a little effort. Come this Sunday if you want to learn more about it, or call us at 203-744-6177!