I have been thinking about this for quite some time now. How does/did the Assembly treat widows? There are some verses in the NT that talk about how the church is to take care of widows, but I have never heard of any instances of practicality as far as the Assembly is concerned. Are there any ladies out there who would like to share your stories?
Ulaha,
In the NT days widows were either supported by their families, or they had to beg. Frequently, a widow would be rejected by her family for joining the "evil Christians" and rejecting the family tradition. So, the church sometimes stepped in and supported its widows.
Nowadays, in the West, Social Security and welfare programs keep most people from being reduced to such straits. In other parts of the world, churches frequently still support their widows.
In my own church, we have a monthly work day for widows/sick/old people. They call an office and list maintenence that needs doing on thier homes, and men from the church spend a saturday doing it.
Blessings,
Tom