CHUM Horizon Newsletter

The many individuals, churches, clients, and staff that make up
CHUM came to mind during worship one recent weekend.

Our Gospel reading was the familiar Parable of the Good
Samaritan. This well known story about the man beaten and
robbed and left for dead, the two people who see him lying in the
road and pass by, and the Samaritan who stops and does
everything he can to restore the victim to health has forever
given a positive spin to the word “Samaritan.” There are Good
Samaritan laws, hospitals, mission societies, even a RV club,
and an entry in the American Heritage Dictionary which reads,
“A compassionate person who unselfishly helps others.”

This parable encourages philanthropic behavior, and that is
certainly an important part of our mission at CHUM; but what
really reminded me of our organization, was the question that
preceded the parable, “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer that
poses the question has been told he must love his neighbor as
himself, but seems to be looking for some limits as to how far
that really goes.

The response in this teaching is that there are no limits.
Neighbor is not defined by location, nationality, ethnicity, or
religion; neighbor is the person in need, the person who crosses
our path today.

CHUM has been recognizing neighbors for over 34 years. While
the organization has changed in response to changes in our
community, the economy, and our population, the awareness
that there is not a dividing line between our well-being and the
well-being of others remains constant.

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Has there ever been a time in your life that you needed help
making ends meet? Maybe you were out sick from work and
your paycheck was smaller than normal so the electric bill
couldn’t get paid. Maybe you had an unexpected expense one
month and found it hard to put gas in your car.

I can relate to these situations by thinking back to a time in my
life when I couldn’t make ends meet. I had just returned from a
year volunteering in Los Angeles, and had used my entire
savings to move into an apartment. I was starting a new job
back in Minnesota, so knew that this tough spot was temporary.
Temporary, however, felt like an eternity!

I had no vehicle, no furniture to put in my apartment, and no
pots and pans for cooking. So even though I would be
receiving a paycheck soon, I would have to think wisely about
how I was going to spend that very first paycheck. Would I put it
towards furniture from a secondhand store, purchase pots and
pans, or put it towards a loan on a used car?

Luckily, these choices were made easier with the help of an
organization close to where I lived that hooked me up with
furniture and many other household items free of charge. I was
ecstatic when I heard about this opportunity; it meant I would no
longer had to sleep on the floor, cook microwaveable only
foods, and eat my dinner on the floor. Instead I could put my
first paycheck towards food and a loan payment on a car.

After working for a year, I moved to Duluth when I got a job with
CHUM. I was in a more financially stable point, so I could
donate all the furniture back that I had received a year prior. It
was neat knowing that the furniture that once helped me
through my struggles would be passed on to someone else
facing similar struggles.

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