PERCENTAGE GIVING

Ever since biblical days, percentage giving has been part of the church. In fact, the Bible is very clear that 10% of one’s income (the tithe) should be given off the top (the first fruits of one’s harvest) to support God’s work in the world, especially through the church of Jesus Christ. In those days, of course, the church was the only organization doing God’s work. These days, there are many great organizations that do God’s work in their own way, i.e. United Way, YMCA, Cancer Society, etc. Therefore, our church strongly suggests that 5% of our tithe be invested in the church. The sum-total of our giving to the church (primarily our pledge, but also our other contributions to the various ministries and missions of our church) ought to equal 5% of our income (or $1/week for each $1000/year we earn). The other 5% of our income ought to be invested in other good organizations that do God’s work in the world. Though the tithe, percentage giving, may seem like a lofty ideal, it’s a dream that many in our church have successfully made a reality, from our Senior Minister and some of our staff members to a number of lay people in the pews, and they do it happily. Gordon Ellis tells how he and his wife, Diane, added another $5/week to their church pledge each year for a number of years until they finally “grew” it to meet the biblical standard. Others have chosen to do it all once. If everyone would do it, our budget would be far higher than it is. And budgets are not just figures. They represent a great many programs, ministries and missions. They represent lots of love that is shared in and through our church. Help us make this dream even more of a reality when Pledge Sunday comes around on May 1st. Thank you!