Mukhtar Raja was hoping for a miracle.
For the past five months, the business at his Snack Shack Phillips 66 gas station in Shawnee, Kansas, had slowed to a crawl due to construction work in the area, causing the Pakistani-born owner to contemplate filing for bankruptcy. During the construction period, which blocked off the roads leading to the store, it’s estimated that Raja lost close to $100,000 in revenue, reports Kansas City TV 5 News.
Pastor David Jones of Cross Points Church heard about Raja’s plight after he was featured in the Shawnee Dispatch, and decided to step in. “I’m going to challenge the church and say, ‘Hey, let’s go help this guy who’s having difficulties, not because of what he’s done, but because of something out of his control,” Jones said.
Raja said, “I was seriously, seriously considering filing Chapter 7,” when his prayers were answered during an unexpected Sunday rush, the result of Jones’ challenge to his congregation to buy at least one tank of gas from the Snack Shack. They did not disappoint.
Raja told KCTV, “I’m very thankful to them. They basically woke me up [to the fact] that good people exist out there. They don’t care what religion you are, what race you are. They come and help you out, and that’s unforgettable.”
The helping hand to Raja’s Phillips 66 gas station is just the first stage of a new program the church is calling “Connect, Commit, Create,” which will encourage congregations to patronize businesses in need around the city. Church elder Steve Van Buskirk, a Shawnee resident of over 60 years, came up with the idea, explaining, “We’re just doing what we can to bless Shawnee because that’s where we live and that’s who we care about. Through our congregation, we’ll be looking for businesses that are struggling. We all live in Shawnee, we’re all buying stuff, so why not give it to the ones who need it?”
Reflecting on the church members’ actions, Raja said that he “had never seen this type of love before.”
Bryan Patterson's Faithworks 
A church that is switched on
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Much of the Church is switched on. You just do not see it.
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Now THATS what Jesus would do. Well, not exactly but you know what I mean…
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Really?
Wouldn’t he say:- take up thy bed and walk?
(ie; God helps them who help themselves.)
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Ok, I’ll play
Luke 3:10-11 And the crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
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‘Playing’ wasn’t my intent ~ merely that there are different perspectives to just about everything.
However:- Matthew 26:11…. now gimme the %#$#@^%!! oil!
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………..I suppose his human side had to be expressed. ?
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I pray that many will come to know the Savior through this incredible ministry. And may the rest of us be challenged to put our faith in action, too!
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Wonderful.
Exactly right, doesn’t matter what creed or colour a person is, charity and love is for everyone. Anyone who directs their charity to ‘their own kind’, is not truly charitable. We are all brothers and sisters in this world.
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The American Govt. is not being very charitable in their actions at the moment.
I think this ‘shutdown’ is more about theatre than anything else – but it is truly showing the Obama Govts. ‘style’.
http://www.catholicvote.org/military-priests-face-arrest-for-celebrating-mass-in-defiance-of-shutdown/
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….and the ‘style’ of the church/priesthood, too.
Aren’t “military priests” and “contract priests” a grotesque juxtapositioning of terms??
And if they’re going to be part of the Establishment then oughtn’t they also be subject to the dicta and actions of the Establishment?
They get no sympathy from me.
http://www.plough.com/en/articles/2011/july/blessing-the-bombs
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If the soldiers didn’t want them there, I’m sure they wouldn’t be there.
They are not allowed to even do voluntary work.
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I know where you’re coming from.
Old Nick often makes similar observations about his own mission…….
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You DID read the link, didn’t you Kate?
,,,,and the comments at the end?
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Ok, so there should never be war. That still doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be Priests who minister to soldiers where they are needed. Doesn’t mean the Priests condone the war.
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Pope Francis’ prayer:
“May there be an end to armed conflicts which cover the earth with blood,” he said, “may the clash of arms be silenced; and everywhere may hatred yield to love, injury to pardon, and discord to unity. Let us listen to the cry of all those who are weeping, who are suffering and who are dying because of violence, terrorism or war, in the Holy Land, so dear to Saint Francis, in Syria, throughout the Middle East and everywhere in the world.”
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Oh come on Kathleen! Does the term ‘Conscientious Objector’ men nothing to you?
How about ‘Accessory Before,During and After the Fact’?
Gitmo is full of people who have done a lot less in “support” of ‘terrorism’/murder.
And the most common convictions proven against nazi ‘war criminals’ (and othrs) was that of “Conspiracy to Wage Aggressive War”
Can you see your C-inC (Jesus, in case you’ve forgotten) coming at that sort of copout, ever, for any reason?
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Alexie very kindly ministers to Prisoners. Do you think he supports their crimes?
Is he aiding and abetting?
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No, I do not support their crimes. But I serve them anyway. Out of love and mercy. Plus I am no different to them.
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Australia has a proud history in wars. Many were and are chaplains and Christian men. Going back to the battle of the light horse and the taking of Jerusalem. The enemy had Jerusalem for many centuries and it took 300 Australian horseman to take the city against thousands.
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Time’s short today but, Kathleen, I’ll answer your question about Alexie’s ministry if you’ll answer my question about Jesus’ ministry. 😉
But don’t forget the truism that whoever you vote for you elect a politician.
It’s the being part of the ‘system’ that establishes the guilt or the glory.
I’d’ve thought any Mick would be very aware of that. …….
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Yeah, Alexie, the heroic defenders of the faith committed the same bastardries during the Crusades.
So you reckon going halfway around the world with the sole intent of butchering complete strangers who’ve never done (or threatened) you any harm (not to mention the cruelties the ‘bastards from the bush’ inflicted on their helpless horses) is the essence of “a proud history”, so long as you keep your numbers smaller than the numbers of the people you’re killing?
They’d have loved you at Nuremberg!
Every jew-burner would’ve been acquitted.
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aaaaah! I love the smell of money in the morning.
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The justification for war is ‘We have to stop them before more innocent people are killed’ or ‘Killing lots of them will save the lives of many more.’ Results belie this theory, and there will never be a ‘war to end all wars’ while civilisation exists, but while servicemen could feel proud of what they did, they could usually keep their sanity. That is changing.
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