Good Works

   It's been a while since I wrote an entry on this blog but I hit upon this subject as I was reviewing the agenda for this morning's Commissioners' Court meeting. There are a couple of items addressing funding for emergency services in the rural areas of Caldwell County. For the uninitiated the responsibility for fire protection outside of our incorporated cities has been borne by the volunteer fire departments. Two of them are supported by a small tax assessment but most are self funded. The County chips in a monthly stipend but it is a very small part of the cost to run these operations. When all is said and done much of the burden for the cost of equipment and personal gear is paid by the guy on the end of the hose. You got it. The guy that volunteers countless hours toward training and being on call gets to pay for the privilege to do it.

   Having always lived in the city I will admit that I kind of take it for granted that if my house catches on fire the firefighters will come and attempt to put it out. I pay taxes to keep a group of firefighters ready in the event that happens. A good investment, in my opinion. And I always make sure my insurance is current! However, I'm not sure how much those living in the rural areas have considered this. Sure there are great advantages to living outside of those never ending ordinances of the cities. But there are perils as well. A small grass fire from your neighbor's trash pile two miles away can turn into a fire line headed right for your dream house. In most cases the only thing between that fire line and your castle is some of your neighbors that have volunteered to drop everything when the call comes in and stop that fire. He does it for various reasons, not the least of which he realizes it could be headed for his house next time.

   This is an opportune time to bring it up for another reason. Labor Day marks the beginning of fund raising season for the VFD's in this county. Chili Cook-Offs, plate lunch sales, raffles, auctions, you name it, are on tap most weekends in September and October. These organizations raise a significant portion of their operating funds through these events and, as a side benefit, generate an awareness of the job these volunteers are doing. They are a great local charity to support and I encourage you to do so. There are several of these events that Emma and I make a point of attending.

   I did have another thought. I was watching some posts on Facebook about a local motorcycle club having a rally to raise money for Juvenile Diabetes research. While I can ride a motorcycle I don't own one nor will probably ever own one again. The same can be said for about 90% of the population. So it seems that this rally was and excuse for a bunch of middle aged Hell's Angels wannabes to get together, get drunk, and act "dangerous". Does giving a little bit of money to Juvenile Diabetes Research somehow make their behavior "legitimate"? Sadly, were it not for the rally most of the participants would just spend it ALL on playing bad ass! Why does our writing a check depend upon some entertainment being provided? It seems to me that the worthiness of the charitable pursuit should be the determining factor and the money they have to spend to entertain the donors could be spent on their charitable purpose. I know, radical thinking!

   Hey, my little blog with its limited distribution is not going to change anything. I am still going to support those charities and attend their fund raisers and do what I can to support their efforts. I would encourage you to reevaluate your charitable giving to include deserving local charities, such as Volunteer Fire Departments. You get the most bang for your buck with them!

A Place To Worship God

A few weeks ago the largest church in our small town made a decision to end their 20 year relationship with a Boy Scout troop due to the decision by the national organization to allow homosexual boys to participate in scouting. The church's governing body saw their sponsorship as tacit approval of a homosexual lifestyle for kids and that was just something they couldn't accept. So the scouts are looking for a new home, which should not be a problem.

Since this all went public there has been a steady stream of criticism of the church. Some of it despicable, some of it thinly veiled threats toward the church. Most all of it from various folks with an ax to grind on organized religion. I have seen them pilloried for being intolerant, hypocritical, boy haters by people that don't know the members of that church and rarely darken the door of any church for that matter. It seems that the referendum on churches has come back and they are guilty one and all!

As a person who attends church pretty much each Sunday I want to take a few minutes to defend them in general and the offending church in particular. Churches in our community are a safety net for the poor and impoverished. The food bank is funded and run by an alliance of churches and are the major sponsor of the local meals on wheels program. More importantly is that the churches provide a spiritual refuge for souls in need of one. The reason I keep going to church is because it is a place to commune with God. Maybe it's just me but I find prayer and reflection more fulfilling in a church setting.

Now as to the church in question, I wonder if they were thanked for the 20 years that they sponsored the scouts? What about their part in the maintaining of the safety net? Admittedly their decision is not politically correct but nobody denies they have a right to do it.The members of that church are local residents, many that have paid taxes, reared children, coached and supported any number of youth activities in the community and are good solid citizens. They support their church with their money and, as Christians and Americans, still have religious freedom. So what if their church doesn't follow every politically correct rabbit trail that our society lays out there? Seems like that is what has got us where we are today!

Small towns love gossip and controversy but they are generally short-lived. The Boy Scouts will find a new home, the Baptist Church will continue to do what they do. The next controversy will come along and nobody but the Scouts and the church will remember this one. The recriminations against the church will not be forgotten all that easily and those that publicly castigated them will know what payback is.