WAYSIDE'S COMPASSION MAY BE EXPLOITED

CHRISTIAN compassion at the Wayside Chapel (temporarily suspended for other
than compassionate reasons) is provided only during set hours on several
days each week, but never on Sundays.

There is no objective to restore the soul or rehabilitate the body.

A church sanctuary is a place of refuge and always open and not to provide a
place when people can perform criminal acts with immunity from the
authorities.

My sympathy goes to the Ted Noffs family as they see what is being done,
within his church, to what this great man built up.

The compulsive addict needs to inject, without delay, often about three or
more times a day. This is due to the short "life" of heroin, with the onset
of withdrawal sickness after four to six hours.

After the act of "compassion" at the chapel, the addict, like Lazarus, will
be left on the streets, outside the chapel gates, unless there is room in
its toilets.

For the chapel to cater for the addicts in its areas, provision will need to
be made for some thousands of injections each week. This will soon serve to
identify meeting places, nearby, to dealers and users, including
experimenters. There will be false messages and an easier supply of drugs to
the young. There will be an increase in the number of candidates for death.

It is the new user, by reason of little tolerance, who is at great risk of
death. How could the chapel consistently refuse "compassion" to people so at
risk, even if they could identify them?

A scenario:

"Be in it - it's quite OK - come up to the Cross. We can get a fix near the
Wayside. Tell the reverend you are an addict and he'll give you a needle and
see you are OK and keep the cops away."

May it not be that the compassion of this kind pastor is being exploited by
others who have their own agenda?

ATHOL MOFFITT, Killara