Front Porch Ministry
© 2002 Don Rogers
After many many years my grandmother decided one Sunday that she was not coming back to church. She told that to the pastor as she was leaving. He asked in great concern if he had offended her. Had someone else offended her? Was she unhappy? Her reply was that no, no one had offended her in fact she loved the people there and she believed they loved her but she had had enough of Sunday-going-to-church. That was that.
Then she began what we called her front porch ministry. She would survey the community from her front porch and stay informed in ways we could not fathom. When someone was in need she would send them some help, some money usually. My grandfather was very patient with her.
And when she thought someone needed talking to she would send them the sweetest note saying how long it had been since she had seen them and how much she hoped they would drop by soon. And they, unsuspectingly, would arrive. And after the usual exchange of pleasantries she would get right to the point. "Now I have heard that...(and she would name the error of their ways) and I am here to tell you that that is not the way you should behave and it is time for that to stop."
That was my lesson in applied Christianity.