Perfectly Practical #83 - Giving to Your Church


30-Day Giving Challenge



2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

In 2010, we took up Kingdom First Mom's 30-Day Giving Challenge and was surprised by how as we blessed others, we were blessed far more in return..  This year the ladies behind the massive effort are picking up where they left off (thank you Ms. Becky for pointing that out.)  You can see more info here.

If you and your family so choose to join us on our mission, I will be breaking down giving into five specific areas:  Church, Family, Friends, School, and Community.  Of course, there will be some overlapping but I would like to primarily focus on one at a time.

When thinking about which area of giving I wanted to start with, the obvious choice was church.  For our household, we follow the Biblical principle of tithing 10% first.  Before bills and wants and needs, 10% goes to God*, and as it is by His grace that we have anything to tithe at all, we are all too happy to oblige.

But giving to your church is not just about tithes, it is also about offerings.  That doesn't mean solely monetary offerings although it most certainly does include them.

Offer your: 

1.  Time.  Every church needs folks to volunteer their time to answer phones, teach Sunday School classes, clean up after services, organize church events, make bereavement meals, serve on committees, etc. 

2.  Abundance.  This could be financial gains but could also include stockpiles of food or toiletries.  In tough economic times, many people in need turn to churches for help.  Our church keeps toiletries and supplies on hand for those people who just need a shower, a cup of coffee, and clean clothes. 

3.  Gifts.  Each of us has talents and skills and your unique combination of each won't be like mine.  So on a church work day, your knowledge of tools and how to wield them would really come handy and I would happily provide the food for the occasion. 

A church is not a building, it is made up of the people who worship there.  So whether your church is a precious little country community church or an urban mega church, the basic needs are the same.  Think about how you could give in some way to your church this week.

This is part of We Are That Family's Works for Me Wednesday and the 30 Day Giving Challenge.

*I have heard people say that tithing is an "Old Testament" thing and it is not applicable today. Well the 10 Commandments are an an Old Testament thing too so what do you suppose we do with them? Hmm?...  That's another discussion for another time.  :)

Comments

  1. We had a pastor who always said, "Tithes and talents, give from what you are given." He always reminded us that everything we had was a gift from the start! I love the 30 day giving challenge idea.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is such a brilliant and succinct way to put it Ms. Kristen.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband and I have been a firm believer in tithing because when God called His people to bring in the WHOLE tithe to the storehouse He told us to "Test Him in This" and see if He didn't throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out more blessings than we could hold. Well, 12 years later we can attest that He has poured out the blessings. We have always had all of our needs supplied for and many of our wants. We are very grateful to the Lord and gladly, with JOY will we obey Him in this command.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nice article! I just did a stewardship talk at church this week. I have given more and more to the church, but I'm still getting out more than I put in!

    Those people who claim 10% is an Old Testament concept should take note that Jesus said to sell ALL you have and give to the poor! That makes 10% sound a lot easier, doesn't it? :-D

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Ms. Becca! It's cliche but true that you get out of an organization what you put into it. I agree that the 10% is easier to swallow. ;)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Your turn! Let me know what perfectly practical comments you have.