I go an Eviction Summons. Since I’ve lost my job I looked to church for assisntace while I find a new one. Although I attend thier service every week I don’t have access to the funds I contribute to each week. I don’t have access because I have not yet become a memeber of the church. They want to give me food though, but what good is food when you don’t have a floor to sit on and eat? This is the same church that asked me last week if I wanted to donate to the ministy in Nicaragua, they knew last week that I needed every penny I had. They know that I’m poor and they know that I have no one else to turn to yet because I can’t devote the time to lollygag around with them and help them out I can’t get anything from them. None of them even offered to put me up or store my stuff.
I want to point out that: I think that sucks, my inner voice screams dicrimination and I should find another church. If a church wanted to reach out and help others and spread the “word” wouldn’t it start at home with the people who actually want to be there?
It sucks it sucks it sucks. Can I sue them for refusing to help me a fellow believer and follower, while they cart themselves off to forgien places saving the planet?
Normally the churches actions are good but to selectively lend a helping hand is not very Christian.
I understand exactly where you are coming from. Unfortunately, you can’t sue your church. But, there are many churches and organizations that can help. I wish I knew of them in your area, I really do, but I don’t. I’m from the other side of the country. If you want to email me, I can give you the information on my church, which has a great ministry for actually going out into the street and helping people and see if they have some kind of affiliation in your area. God bless.
Why not? Tons of lawsuits against the Catholic church have been filed, recently. Why is this situation different? I don’t imagine the OP has the money to spare, or that it would do much good, but why couldn’t they sue the church?
On what grounds? Because they won’t help you? You said yourself you’re not even a member.
I can understand your frustration, but what makes you think a lawsuit is appropriate here? Seems to me your energies would be better applied to solving your problems.
On the ground that my Church is willing to donate money to poeple who aren’t memebers in other countries who A) did not ask for our help. and B) will never come back to thank us.
See these folks that are getting help aren’t memebers I know this because I have a detailed outline of what were are doing with them.
Church choosen who it wants to help and left the others out to fend for themselves. Just cause I’m not a memeber should not exclude me of the same privileges other folks in the congregation has. If that were true we would not be reaching out to these other people.
Tia, babe, I feel for you because you seem to be down on your luck right now, but your problem isn’t your church. But I’ll leave it to others to fill in the gaps.
To be liable to you, your church (actually, the church, since it is evidently not your church) must owe you a duty–a legal duty, not a moral or a philosophical one–and have breached that duty. What duty do you think that the church owed to you? None that I can see.
Your argument for why you want money from the church is that other people are getting money and you aren’t, and they aren’t any more entitled to the money than you are. But there is the point: neither they nor you are entitled to it. And you can’t sue unless you are somehow entitled to what you are suing for, and being unlawfully deprived of it.
Plenty of organizations and individuals in the world donate money and other charitable gifts to people other than you. You can’t sue them either. FairyChatMom makes a pretty good point: you won’t solve your problems by blaming them on others–like this church which, as far as I can tell, never harmed you–who are not responsible.
Tia3child, I wish I could help. Everyone else has already explained why you can’t sue your church, so I’ll just do a little hijack to let you know you are not alone. Many years ago I was in the same situation. I had a job interview but no gas in my car, and the child support check was on it’s way but not received yet. I asked my church for a loan of three dollars so I could get to the job interview. They supposedly didn’t have it to give. Huh? Three dollars/? But they did refer me to the “big church” (the larger So. Baptist church in our town) who told me they did not support any kind of gas fund, but I could go into their food pantry and pick out a couple of canned goods. I replied that unfortunately, I didn’t have the time or the funds to convert my engine to a spinach combustion engine before I had to be at the interview.
Lordy, would that I could win the lottery so I could start a fund that really did people some good, instead of just allowing a few fat cats to pat themselves on the back with their do-gooding.
Quit your fucking bitching. Did you think your donations to the church was supposed to be a retirement fund? I’m not surprised they won’t give you money, because they know you will probably go blow it on more of the crack you were smoking when you wrote this op.
I have to admit I’m a little confused by your OP. Everyone else seems to understand what you are saying so I will assume this is due to my ignorance of the way churches operate.
You are new to the church and are a member of the congregation not yet a full “member”.
You contribute something to the collection plate every Sunday and attend services.
You are irritated that they want you to contribute some time, work or other service as part of their mission. Because of your straightened circumstances you do not have the time (or possibly the inclination based on the tone of your OP) to be a fully participating member of their community of faith. You are irritated that the amount you are contributing at services is not coming back to you in the way of cash assistance or in kind personal favors. You are irritated that they seem to be more concerned with the privations of people in distant lands than the real problems their members have in front of them.
It is human nature to be cautious with new members of an organization. It is much easier to cut a check to a poor person in a faraway land than to open your home to a relative stranger and especially one that does not seem like an enthusiastic team player in your community of faith.
I think the bottom line for you, is that if you want the real, full-fledged bennies of church membership you need to understand that this bargain is between individuals as a personal extension of their good will, and they are unlikely to extend themselves to any significant they don’t have a feel for you an individual . I think it would be a very good use of your time to get more involved with church’s programs and devote your time to their activities to forge these interpersonal bonds. You might see a lot more personal generosity as result.
Did you think the church was a bank? A money market?
I’ve never seen anyone put it that way. Hey, once you donate the funds, you no longer have any claim to them. You should be grateful they have offered to feed you.
I’m with spooje. That is an interesting way to put it. Tia3child, what exactly do you think the church does with :cough: your money? Do you think it’s like a credit union, where they invest it for you, till you need it? You do realize the church has expenses, don’t you? Electric bills? Rent or a mortgage? Salaries for the pastor and various other church employees?
Part of the offerings goes to pay overhead and expenses first, then it goes toward the various outreach programs.
It’s not a freaking bank.