Where are the volunteers?

A group of young people from across the nation come to our city every year to spend a week repairing the homes of the poor and the needy.

This year, the group called "Work Camp" is spending a week in 100 degree heat helping 18 famlies repair their homes. They are painting, repairing screens, steps and making other changes.

The youth pay over $300 a week for the "privelege" to stand in the heat and sweat for a week helping people they do not know. At night, they sing and pray and sleep on the floors at a school.

After a week they return to their homes. Hundreds of youth like these are doing the same across the nation.

This week's Sunday School lesson is about helping the needy in the name of Christ. At Bible Study last night we talked about the need for missionary service. The "Work Camp" volunteers were given as an example. They were praised.

Why is it that, allowing for a few exceptions, most volunteers such as these are whites helping Blacks?. It's rare for Blacks to volunteer to help whites in such efforts.

The people in the neighborhood watched as they worked in the sun. They thanked them. They praised them.

It just appears that we won't volunteer unless we are being paid to volunteer. We are definitely not going to pay over $300 for the privelege of working in 100 degree heat, working for free and sleeping a hard school floor.

As I reviewed Sunday's lesson from Matthew 25:31- I thought of the "Work Camp" volunteers and wondered to myself, "Where are the volunteers?"

Are we sheep or goats?