Community Thanksgiving Boosts “Good Samaritan Fund”
Wednesday, November 28th, 2007
Sixty people gathered from across the county to celebrate, worship, and enjoy fellowship with their neighbors on Monday, November 19th at the Johnson Corner Wesleyan Church (JCWC). This service is an annual event sponsored by the McKenzie County Ministerial Association (MCMA) and rotates around the centrally located churches of the county.
Upon arriving, I and my wife were welcomed by our host, Pastor Adrian Timmons of JCWC. He and his congregation had prepared well for us and the gathering community. The JCWC runs a school and had recently relocated their congregation’s sanctuary from the old church building into an addition to the school. Their new sanctuary is beautiful and is quite functionally integrated into the school building and operation.
I was pleased to see so many from the MCMA in attendance: thirteen in all. Not everyone had a role in worship leadership but all participated in worship and fellowship.
Adrian greeted everyone and led off the worship service. At the apporpriate time he explained to the gathered assembly just what the “Good Samaritan Fund” was and how this worship service supplied money to it. Simply put, the “Good Samaritan Fund” serves to help poor travelers to continue their journey. Three agencies are involved with the fund: the MCMA, the local sheriff’s office, and First International Bank. The MCMA encourages the community to provide the necessary resources either through attending and contributing at the Community Thanksgiving Service or through a special offering in their respective congregations; and the MCMA also encourages the community to refer stranded travelers to one of the pastors of the MCMA as their contact to access the Good Samaritan Fund. The sheriff’s office provides the “vetting” of the traveler when the pastor and traveler visit the Law Enforcement Center to obtain the vouchers used in the fund. The vouchers enable the traveler to get gasoline, meals, and a night’s lodging at local facilities. First International Bank administers the fund and pays the merchants when they submit the vouchers.
The Good Samaritan Fund is used every year, sometimes by as many as eight or ten travelers and their families.
As I look back on the evening, I see gracious hosts, inspirational worship, a generous community, and neighbors–near and far, rich and poor–sitting down together and enjoying the “mutual conversation and consolation of the saints.”