Christians Beat FEMA, and in So Doing, Tame Big Government

Cheryl K. Chumley | The Washington Times | September 12, 2017

Faith-based groups — Christian nonprofits, specifically — have been busy bees of late, providing more aid to hurricane victims than even FEMA, the federal agency that’s supposed to swoop to the scenes of natural disasters, assess the situation and speed the recovery and rebuilding process. Just goes to show: Where charity exists, government is not needed. Look at this, from the Daily Caller: “Faith-based relief groups are responsible for providing nearly 80 percent of the aid delivered thus far to communities with homes devastated by the recent hurricanes.”

The piece cited USA Today, which ran a headline: “Faith groups provide the bulk of disaster recovery, in coordination with FEMA.” Imagine that. When disaster strikes, it’s Americans — specifically, Americans of faith — who lend the quickest hands, who provide the most assistance. As USA Today noted, the Seventh Day Adventists took charge of disbursing bottles of water, diapers, clothing and other material needs.

The United Methodist Committee on Relief sent out the after-disaster work crews to help with cleanup — which includes everything from pulling mud from homes to assisting victims file their claims forms to government and insurance entities. The Convoy of Hope helped feed the masses, arriving on scene in the south with trucks upon trucks of food, even before Irma hit. Samaritan’s Purse, the Rev. Franklin Graham’s organization, brought everything from food to chainsaws. Post-storm, the same group will help victims rebuild their homes...