Not actually news

The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida was clearly having a slow news day last week as the ran the story Couple Prey on Church Generosity. The article tells of a scam in which,

Last Saturday, Joshua and Nicole (who never said their last names), came to Adele Hatfield, the associate pastor of the south Fort Myers church, seeking help.

Joshua, an unemployed electrician and Nicole, a laid-off restaurant worker, were living in their car and needed money to drive to Joshua's mom's house in Maryville, Tenn.

The two stayed for services, even taking Communion, and then ate at a big spread that church members served later.

Fresh off a homily about compassion and generosity, parishioners passed the hat for the young couple. Hatfield said they collected more than $100, and she even kicked in $20.

With a box of snacks for the road, the couple left, promising to call when they reached home.

Later, Hatfield began telling the story to her husband Chuck, associate rector at Saint Monica's Episcopal Church in North Naples. She didn't get far before Chuck started to fill in the details.

He knew all about the couple, because 10 days earlier Joshua and Nicole had come to Saint Monica's with the exact same sob story. And three weeks before they had come in with a similar story about needing gas money to get to Fort Myers.

"I think we may have been taken," Adele Hatfield told some of her parishioners after hearing about Joshua and Nicole's serial begging.

That sort of "serial begging" is common and is likely the result of real needs being met, but then a few folks learn how to use the system to get more help than they need if they find it easier than working.

Every church gets "taken" in this way from time to time, but it is nothing to worry about. Someone said they needed food or clothes or some other assistance and they received it. No real harm done to the church. You just try to maximize the good you do with safeguards like never giving anyone cash, but taking care of the actual need. It's all done in good faith and if there is a real scam taking place, the fault is to be found in the person taking a church for money they don't have to have, rather than with the church that is just trying to help someone. Right?

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor