I'm with you on this, Chatty, though I don't want to sound like I don't honor and respect the missionary work many of us do in third World countries. My sister in law is one of those dedicated people and I am in total amazement of the work she does.

That said, I used to be a member of the congregation at an Episcopal cathedral, where the Dean and the parishioners were always raising money to build churches, schools and hospitals in Africa - without seeming to notice that the neighborhood our church was located in had become somewhat questionable -- and that a lot of the people living in the neighborhood were barely making it, financially.

I spent some time talking to the Dean about this, and he seemed genuinely surprised by my suggestion that it might be worthwhile to have a simple mitten drive as winter was approaching and there were a lot of kids in the neighborhood who could use coats, mittens, boots, etc...

He was a good man, and to his credit, he listened.

Sadly, he's no longer Dean of the Cathedral, I'm not sure he is even living, but I am happy to say that these days, the Cathedral has a thriving program to help those in the neighborhood, including a wonderful day care program which makes it possible for low-income women to work, knowing their children are being safely and well cared for.

I'm all for caring for the world, but I do think we need to help those in our own backyards, as well.