I have a little hope for some of humanity when I see the outpouring of relief for the people in Haiti. The US, of course, is the greatest contributor. I even saw a plane from China but it hogged the runway of the airport for a photo-op. Israel has apparently established a sophisticated field hospital and help is even coming from Venezuela. I still haven’t seen anything from the Muslim countries.

With the horrible fire that destroyed the First Baptist Church in Temple this week I also saw and heard about numerous offers for relief. Most of those were from fellow Baptist Churches and other churches like the Methodist, Episcopalians, Bible, etc. I didn’t hear much about offers from the cult churches. Some of these folks are afraid to offer their sanctuary for use for fear that the infidel Baptist will contaminated the place of worship with musical instruments or might desecrate the alter.

One group that is always there in time of need and emergencies is the Salvation Army. Their wagon was on the scene of the church fire almost immediately. They furnished coffee and doughnuts and mostly set an example of providing help. I checked the internet to see what they were doing in Haiti and it’s a mass effort with medical teams, supplies, food and everything to help the victims of the earthquake.

I served on the board of the local Salvation Army for several years and I came away feeling great about that organization. There are no high paid executives making off with the money. The money goes to help those in need. I have always said that if Jesus visited our town for the weekend he would most likely attend church at the Salvation Army.

The other thing I like about the Salvation Army is the bands. They are big on having brass bands that play in small groups to help proclaim the gospel of Christ. Their music gets you in a worshipful mood, especially around Christmas time when they are playing around the red kettles. They even had a large band in the Rose Bowl Parade.

Anyway, it’s very reassuring to see the willingness of folks to help others in need. I’m sure the US will be criticized for the slowness of our response to the people of Haiti. We just have to move on and do what’s right and remember that a man was once crucified for helping save the world. In my little way, I’m glad I got off the porch a few years ago to spend a little time with the Salvation Army Board.