Publisher's Letter - John Massam
Challenge Weekly 9 March 2009,
Vol 67, Iss 8, page 2
The world is struggling with the issue of debt, with governments seeking to
solve the financial meltdown by making unprecedented advances to companies and
banks in crisis. How easy it is to get into debt. A signature on a
piece of paper and a debt is secured against you and all you own. The
borrower is truly servant to the lender and that, particularly for the
uninitiated, can easily develop into a form of modern day slavery.
You work hard to get your own home. It is in your name. You pay
the rates, insurance, maintenance but the bank effectively is the owner.
This is alright in good times but so different when things go sour. Tough
times arrive for us all when we least need or expect it, which is when we need
help. Because it is so easy for families to fall to bits under financial
pressure there are groups offering to help and doing a great job.
But rather than just being an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff we should
be laying good foundations for strong marriages and healthy families.
Every marriage needs a place to live, call your own, call home.
The government, and rightly so, provides houses for those who struggle.
That some abuse this privilege should never deter our community from caring for
those who need help.
But what about those closest to us, our families and neighbours.
Something that Christians should be committed to, having clear goals and ways to
fulfil them. A church in Rotorua sets a goal for its members. It
encourages tithing but it also has emblazoned on the wall of the sanctuary,
"100% Home owners, 100% Debt free, 100% Kingdom". A goal that
every family should set for their children and every church for its members.
We must applaud and support groups who are providing a helping hand for
families to own their own home debt free, giving a help-up and not a
hand-out. It starts with families who provide security or interest free
loans for the children. These arrangements must ensure that the children
are helped and not beholden to their respective parents, particularly when one
set of parents is better endowed than the other.
Alongside this, it is exciting to read of the success of Liberty Trust,
encouraging saving and providing interest free loans. Interest is a
killer. It is a double whammy. The home owner pays interest with
money that has already been taxed. The Liberty Trust loans are not only
interest free but are provided by a supportive lender, which gives great
comfort.
Groups like Habitat for Humanity are providing the same sort of help in a
different way. Getting alongside people who would never be able to build
their own home and working with them to make this possible and then mentoring
them afterwards. Let us join together to set people free.
Challenge Weekly Publisher Mar 09
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