Modelling generosity: Foreign Aid
The American federal government has dismantled the foreign aid department. Here in Canada, one of the political parties is proposing to reduce foreign aid, if elected.
How does the church respond to this mistrust of foreign aid?
My blog post here is not why Christians should love our neighbours and help the least of these. The gospels preach this message better than I can! My question is: in an environment of mistrust and suspicion, how can the church encourage generosity?
My research into Christian giving shows that people trust their local church the most. It makes sense to start there, with an imperfect band of local believers.
Not foreign - stories bring us closer
“Foreign aid” refers to government aid, not private charities, but in practice the two are intertwined as governments often use charities to deliver aid. If people don’t trust the government, nor charities, then the distinction between the two doesn’t matter anyhow.
The terminology “foreign aid” sounds distant and removed. Stories bring us closer. When I see people receiving food aid, I think “that could have been me.” In my Mennonite family history, we have been both recipients and donors of food aid. Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) shares God’s love through relief, development and peace. The agency was started to help starving Mennonites and their neighbours in southern Russia (present day Ukraine) over 100 years ago, and has since expanded to serve in many more countries.
The most generous people I’ve ever met are people who begged for food as children and had the experience of being on the receiving end of generosity. Or people who encountered hard times as adults and who were helped by their church. Someone told me that whenever they have an extra $20, they give it to their church, because they are grateful for that caring community.
Stories need not be dramatic. When were they helped? A generous employer, kind neighbour, compassionate teacher? How has the church helped in difficult moments?
The church has an opportunity to build trust and to model generosity. Telling our own stories of generosity - received and given - help us to hold on to hope, rather than drowning in a sea of bad news. Telling stories helps us connect with one another and to be grateful. If we’re grateful, we are not scared and then we can share.
Who in your congregation has a story to tell? What is your own story of generosity?
Resources
Paul Schrag writes for Anabaptist World on Hope lifts grief’s weight: With compassion out of favor, will people of faith comfort the sorrowful?
“What does it mean to love our neighbor well?” The Lake Institute on Faith and Giving has produced a 90 second video on religious fundraising well worth sharing at your next board meeting or church gathering.
Nicholas Kristof writes for the New York Times with considerable international experience of US Aid in particular.