Looking After Orphans and Widows

Submitted by Gary Wall

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27, NIV).

I was visiting with the wife of one of our pastors who is now with Jesus. She doesn’t have family nearby, but thanks to a ministry of her church, she is cared for and blessed. Once each month, a group of men from the church visits the homes of widows like her. They change lightbulbs and do basic repairs and maintenance. These men are performing tasks that the Lord views as pure and faultless.

In the early church there was a “list” of those widows the church had identified as appropriate recipients of special care and concern. Does your church family have such a list? Throughout the Scriptures, God’s people are called to care for widows and orphans—those most vulnerable and so easily forgotten. It seems that in addition to our focus on children, youth and family needs, we ought not neglect these saints of God among us.

About the author: Gary Wall is the district minister of the Pacific District Conference. He previously served as pastor of churches in Fresno, San Jose, Visalia and Lodi, California. Gary and his wife, Tami, enjoy spending time with their four daughters (two sets of twins) and their families, including two grandchildren and one on the way!

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