A Servant's Heart part-A

        I would like to recommend to you my book on ministering to those in need, titled “A Servant’s Heart-part-A) In the past, families took care of their members that were in need. They provided food, shelter, comfort and encouragement, and support when needed. Those that did not have family nearby or their family was not able to help them begged for help. Individual Jews and Christians helped when able and Jewish synagogues and Christian churches helped when individuals were not able to. Catholic and Lutheran churches were originally the only church in an area and assisted anyone in their area that was in need, whether they belonged to the church or not. However, as new churches developed, and there were churches of several denominations in an area, they worked with the other churches to develop cooperative ministries to those in need in the area. Eventually the government began taking over care of those in need. Since then, many churches no longer provide assistance. Many Christian social services no longer get support from the churches and have to recruit volunteers and support from the community. While government services minister to physical needs, they don’t assist with spiritual needs and there are many needs where Christian Social Services are not available. There is great need for churches to minister to those around them. The book deals with ways they can minister to the Elderly, to children, and to those who have not heard of the love of God.

       In the past, members lived close to the church and each other and the church was a close-knit group. In addition, the church’s parish was relatively small and members knew their neighbors who did not belong to the church, because they all worked nearby and shopped nearby. It was fairly easy for churches to minister to their members and help those around them in need because they often heard about needs and had members nearby to help. Now, church members are often widely scattered and do not see each other outside of church. As a result, the church is often not aware of needs within the church and those in need don’t feel comfortable asking the church or other members for help. In addition, many members work and shop outside the area and do not know many of their neighbors. As a result, church members are often not aware of when their neighbors are in need and their neighbors don’t know them well enough to ask for help.