Church’s pizzas help the needy
Since Cornerstone is the only church in Salisbury/Rowan County that operates a pizza restaurant (Mama Mia’s), I figured that Ellie Mae Lambert was talking about us in her Aug. 29 letter to the editor.
All proceeds taken in by Mama Mia’s, excluding food and payroll expenses, are given to the less fortunate. In the first eight months of 2009, Cornerstone has given more than $60,000 to families for rent, electric, medication, food, etc … If there are approximately 200 churches in Rowan County and each could give at least $60,000 (some could do more), that would be $12 million that could be given to the less fortunate locally. Also, Cornerstone has 60 employees. Using the same figure of 200, the churches of Rowan County could create 12,000 jobs, which would totally eliminate unemployment.
Ms. Lambert, I’m sorry for the conclusions you’ve come to about pastors and churches. However, I’ve had the privilege to minister all over this country, and there are some great churches being pastored by great men and women of God.
For every one that fails, there are a thousand standing tall.
ó Bill Godair
Salisbury
Godair is the lead pastor of Cornerstone Church.Senior citizens & Social Security
The “trustees” who oversee Social Security payments to seniors should either be replaced ó or at least be better informed.
They should be replaced if their action not to allow a cost-of-living increase for senior citizens for two years is just to help “Obamacare,” which in turn will lead to more government control.
Or, they should be better informed if their action not to increase Social Security payments to seniors is based on the mind-set that there has not been an increase in seniors’ cost of living for the past year, and there will not be an increase for the next two years. (Local, state and federal governments are looking for ways to take in more dollars, as are all businesses and utilities such as Duke Energy.)
Senior citizens pay for their Medicare, as well as for their cost of living, depending on their Social Security payments each month.
The cost of Medicare was $799.20 in 2004, $938.40 in 2005 and $1,156.80 in 2008. If a senior citizen goes to the hospital, the senior pays the first $2,000 before Medicare begins to pay. Even if the senior has “supplemental insurance,” when there are charges that Medicare refuses to pay, supplemental also will not pay.
Some $85 billion was unlawfully charged to Medicare during the past year. Better oversight by the trustees should have prevented this. Reasonable increases in Social Security payments to seniors would not be a problem if those in charge of the system were more responsible.
ó Gus Knox
Salisbury