Article August 7, 2006 Issue

EVERY DAY CAN BE A WEDNESDAY!

BY RUTH ELIZABETH JENKS

WEDNESDAY EVENINGS were a special time for me as a young child. My brother and sister and I got to go with our parents to a "program" at our church. At least it seemed like a program to me. People would stand up and tell stories. I was fascinated. Even my parents would sometimes stand up and tell about something that had happened in our home and how God had helped us. I can remember how happy I was, grinning at them when they sat back down.

As we got older and had homework to do, we didn't go with them as often. By then I had realized that the program was actually a church service—sort of a one-hour, midweek, spiritual "picnic" for people to give thanks for healing and regeneration inspired by the healings and teachings of Christ Jesus. It was, and still is, a time of happy sharing of the bounty of healing—and not just with church members. It's a community picnic. And the community includes everyone, regardless of their religious persuasion or their cultural or racial background.

Today life seems to move at such a fast pace, with so many distractions, that it's easy to forget we are still members of our community, our neighborhood. It's hard enough to keep up with the needs of our own families, let alone those of others. This may be less true when a disaster strikes, and it seems suddenly natural for everyone to want to help. But you shouldn't need a disaster to produce a caring response.

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