Dear Editor: By the time a student reaches the 10th grade, he has learned that the three necessities of life are food, clothing and shelter. St. Matthew in Chapter 25 of The Holy Bible warns us that how we treat the poor in furnishing these necessities will determine whether or not we enter heaven.

There are four community service charitable organizations in Newton County that help the homeless and needy: the Salvation Army, Rainbow Ministries Inc., Repairers of the Breach and Valley Mission. It costs between $1,500 and $2,000 to place a homeless single mother and her children into a rental home or apartment. This cost does not include furnishings.

Many Newton County churches that used to support these four organizations now give their money to a new organization, FaithWorks. This organization pays only a small amount toward delinquent utility bills or back rent. This may sound cruel, but utilities could be considered a convenience and not a necessity. People from the beginning of time until the 1940s lived without utilities. If you pay a person's rent once a year, you have done very little for him. If a person can pay his rent 11 months a year, he should be able to cut back on toys and pay it 12 months.

In a recent City Council meeting, Covington Mayor Sam Ramsey said that Bob Furnad, a FaithWorks volunteer, had come to the city's rescue by solving their problem with delinquent utility bills. Covington's utilities are the highest in the state.

The churches in Newton County who support FaithWorks should realize that their donations do very little in furnishing the things required of us in Matthew, Chapter 25.