A weekly reflection from a member of the Hastings clergy By Pastor Paris Pasch of The Journey Church in Hastings

What good is church anyway?

Have you ever noticed that the media, movies and TV shows, often depict people of faith as weak minded or dogmatic? Often, they are compromising people who live hypocritically among their peers hiding secrets of hidden evil intentions. This depiction has long disappointed me as I try to serve God with integrity even though I am also flawed.

I’m not going to try and dismiss all of these negative portrayals, because I know there have been a few who have lived out their faith in compromise. However, as a 40-year veteran of the Church of Jesus Christ, I can say without hesitation that there are many more decent people of faith than not. These people are self-sacrificial and not self-serving. In fact, throughout history, members of the Christian church have been giving the lion’s share of generous contributions to underprivileged people throughout the world. Church people are trained to serve others and give of themselves to those who have needs. Church people were the strongest proponents of continued higher education in our nation. The have created amazing entities like the Salvation Army, The “Soup Kitchen” form of care, hospitals and addiction recovery centers. Emergency and catastrophic relief is often times championed by people of faith.

Proverbs 19:17 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done.

The other reality is that people who serve inside their churches often serve outside their churches. If you see a large group of volunteers arrive at a crisis, you often find they are people of active faith. They see value in rescuing the poor and supporting the underprivileged. They have mercy for people who have been broken by vices and beaten by life. Many in the church have defended the right of people to be seen as having been created in the image of God and so no man or women is without value or purpose.

I believe the church has value in every community. The church may have failed at many things because it is filled with flawed people but it is the bastion of teaching the truth of love, peace, forgiveness, care and mercy. We have as our foundation the reality that all of us are flawed and yet Jesus Christ died for us that we might be made free from our failures.