What role does charity have in our culture?

After visiting Camden, New Jersey for a week, I have realized that giving money to a charitable organization or church is not enough to assist those in poverty. It is very easy for me to give money to the starving and easy for those starving to accept it for a nice meal. It is easy to take a homeless man to a shelter for night as well. But my life cannot change by seeing a homeless man for a mere moment. I can live in the American society that continues to expand the gap between the rich and poor thinking that my charitable acts please God, but these acts only clear my own conscience away from making real sacrifices. I can feel sorry for the homeless but that feeling subsides in the comfort of my nice warm house. For some God calls them to live in places like Camden, New Jersey with those in poverty feeling their pain and sorrowing and seeking to show them hope in God. For others God calls us to recognize what impact we are actually able to accomplish through our actions. It is tragedy to believe that by going on a mission trip to the most dangerous city in America for a week I will be able to change the lives of those people living there from day to day. Our role was to assist Urban Promise Ministries in janitorial and repair work, so they may be better equipped to assist those living in the poverty stricken areas of Camden when no one else cares to even listen to them. So many times our charitable contributions are more about clearing our own conscience than actually helping those in need. To have a lasting impact on those in need around us, we must make our lives vulnerable to those, which is more difficult than writing a check. When we suffer as they suffer in the turmoil of our society, then we are able to show God's love to the world.
dr