Hard deal. I'm blessed you participate in such an effort, and I'm sure others are.

I can see why you came away feeling depressed. I'm sure that you made the right decisions even though they are hard ones. I'm also sure God was fully behind you... :)

You know, I was a church secretary for a year and at the church I worked they made it easier on themselves, but ended up - at least to me - missing the entire point. They really only helped members or referrals of members. People would walk in off the street and the pastors wouldn't even take time to pray with them -- even if there was no money available, it seems to me they should've been afforded some human compassion and exposure to the compassion and love of the Father.

So, while it's a tough, tough job, be encouraged that you and your church are doing something for those you can, rather than turning them away and closing your eyes to the problem.

Thanks for your encouragement, folks. Sorry to be a whiner.

Beth, I don't really see anything wrong with a church having a ministry that's focused entirely on the segment you describe (our church has specific ministries set aside for our members), especially if resources are really limited, but I do agree that being unwilling to at least pray with those outside that segment seems to be un-Christlike and un-Scriptural. And those are two things that don't bode well for the long-term survival of a church.