St. Lawrence was a Deacon of Rome who was martyred in 258 C.E. Before his death under Valerian’s persecution, Lawrence served as the treasurer of the Roman church and had a special responsibility to care for the poor. 
On the same day that Pope Sixtus was put to death, the Praefect of Rome (a mayor of sorts) showed up on Lawrence’s door demanding that he handover all of the church’s treasures. In this pre-Constantinian age, the church had very little in the way of material wealth. Needless to say however, the Praefect did not believe Lawrence when he tried to explain this. Quick on his feet,
Lawrence begged a few days reprieve in which he could gather all the treasures in order to hand them over. During these few days, Lawrence promptly sold what little gold the church had and gave all of it for the provision of the poor. At the expected time of the Praefect’s return, Lawrence gathered all of the city’s poor – beggars, the infirmed and diseased, street children, prostitutes, and old retired soldiers of Rome’s proud legions (now reduced to paupers) and assembled them on the steps of the Praefect’s palace. When the Praefect emerged, Lawrence cried out, “Here are the true treasures of the church. The Church is truly rich, far richer than your emperor!” 1
When I first heard this story told by Greg Paul at the beginning of his presentation at the 2009 Urban Forum, I was reminded of the church’s calling to serve the poor. It may seem strange that the church even needs reminding, but in a country where we look to the government to provide for the poor, we can very easily neglect our responsibility to care for our neighbours. Even within the Army, because of our useful and necessary structure that divides the Army’s work along the joint lines of corps and social work, it is easy for corps members to abdicate their Christ-given mission to care for the poor, instead adopting an attitude that asks, “What can I do? Better leave this to the professionals.”
The truth is that one does not need to be a “professional” to care for the poor, nor does one have to be a self-described social activist to think of ways to end poverty. And you do know, don’t you, that poverty can be defeated? When Jesus said in Mark 14:7, “For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish... (NRSV)”, he wasn’t being fatalistic. Indeed, too many people have the attitude that the fight against poverty is hopeless. I believe, as do a growing number of Christian scholars, that this verse is really about location. Put another way, Jesus is saying, “The poor, will always be, with you!” The church, according to Jesus, should always have a place for the poor. In fact, it could be said that the church should indeed comprise the poor. As you look out in your congregations, how are we measuring up? Do the poor feel welcomed in your corps? How do you personally interact with economically disadvantaged peoples? Besides giving material help to the poor, or offering them spiritual counsel, do you offer the poor your friendship? These are questions that challenge me as I write them, and I hope they challenge you to both thoughtful and loving action.