church #8
i chose this church because they were still collecting shoeboxes. not really sure what to say about it. the sermon was good, but i don't think this one was it. i don't know, i'm sure they're a fine church. maybe they just felt too suburban to me. also, i didn't see any ministries on their website other than small groups and a gluten-free cooking club. not what i'm looking for if i want a place to serve.
posted by melilotnfosco | 12:19 PM
3 Comments:
Also from an international assistance perspective, shipping and distributing shoeboxes full of what wealthy Americans think underprivileged non-Americans should have is a horrible idea.
i know that there are greater needs, but i don't think it's wrong to give toys to children, no matter where those children live
well the toys aren't cuddled and cherished there the same way they are around here, especially since they are not culturally relevant for them. But the kids' temporary happiness aside (noting that whenever you see pictures of kids opening the boxes, of course they're going to be excited - they're kids getting free stuff!), the issue with things in those boxes (and the boxes themselves) is the huge environmental impact it leaves behind. Developing countries don't have the same waste management infrastructure as we do, and so so much turns to garbage polluting their own living environment. Beyond that, flooding a country with items that can often actually be purchased within their own country ruins their local economy, and local businesses lose out. Generally, shipping such things on such a massive scale as Samaritan's Purse is not in the best practice for sustainable international development. It only makes the donor feel good and the recipient temporarily infatuated with material consumerism.
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