Recently a United Methodist wrote to me wondering why the General Board of Global Ministries wasn't doing more to take care of Methodists who were suffering amidst a disaster, even if it meant restricting or refusing help to non-United Methodists. "After all, 'came the inquiry, 'shouldn't we be taking care of our own kind?'"

The restrictive, marginalizing impact of "our own kind" thinking has constantly challenged the messengers of God's grace and help. Somehow, ignoring the fact that human kind is our own kind, we have erected philosophical and monetary barriers to shield us from loving where there is no love in return as well as helping the stranger and even the enemy.

"Our own kind" has fostered narrow denominationalism and triumphant nationalism. It was against such that Jesus made a clear witness. Whether it was tax collectors and harlots, certainly not "our own kind" for respectable religious folks, or Samaritans or Romans, the "other kind" in an age of discrimination and oppression, Jesus didn't just cross the line; he removed the line so that all were one as "human kind."

Human suffering has a way of challenging our theology and generosity as few dimensions of the human journey. We all struggle at this point. When we are captive to our worst self, we yield to inner delight when we see our enemies suffer, those with whom we hold little common cause, enduring hard times, and especially those we consider sinners having to pay in the court of human difficulty.

Yet, when we are captive to a redeemed self, touched by the compassion that runs within the human family, especially when it is in the grips of sanctifying grace, we respond to human suffering as we would care for loved ones in our own family, for in fact such are our family in God's family of human kind.

The Jesus who came to the whole world came to address the whole needs of the whole human family. When Jesus declared his mission, he was forthright to say he came to feed whoever is hungry, clothe whoever is naked, set at liberty whoever is in bondage and declare for all that the Reign of God is here and now for all people.

The General Board of Global Ministries has a unique opportunity to help United Methodists to be Christians. In the way in which we fund ministries and institutions, send missionaries, and make our appeal to the General Church, we have the privilege and responsibility of being focused on "our kind" human kind.

I must be forthright to say our responsibility is quite heavy whenever marginalization, prejudice, and discrimination are such insidious corrupters of minds, hearts, and pocketbooks. We must help the church be the church. We must stand in the gap, where suffering has only one face. We must utilize resources to feed the far away while other sectors of the church feed the nearby. We must help the homeless in distant places while others help those more visible. We must care for the wounded in places where life is considered cheap except to God and caring "Jesus people," while others care for the wounded in places where they are valued.

I must also be forthright to say that the Board of Global Ministries has a major responsibility to help The United Methodist Church avoid putting as particular color on the face of suffering. The face of suffering has only one color the color of human-kind.

It is a matter of grave concern that special relief offerings in the past few months have produced millions of dollars of Kosovo refugees and only thousands of dollars for refugees in Africa. What drives our compassion? Do we see more than one face when suffering prevails? Has the reoccurrence of suffering in some places, like the onslaught of one hurricane right after another, fatigued our compassion? And yet, the face of the suffering child, whether scarred and marred by competing, warring factions and tribal hostilities cries the same tears and shows the same fear and pain as does the face of the child displaced from home of rising flood waters.

Amidst widely variant offerings, and even on occasion the demand to help our own kind, who is going to help United Methodism be Christian? Who is going to demonstrate the integrity of the Gospel that sees only one face of suffering a human face and truly cares for our own kind human kind. With the considerable, even remarkable resources we have at hand, I believe the General Board of Global Ministries not only has that responsibility, we also have that privilege.

October 18, 1999