It’s Good Friday in the Western Church, so I thought I’d spotlight the friends that need our support the most: our local churches.
Your local churches will obviously be quite different than mine, but I would encourage every Christian reader to give to your local church this weekend. If you are not tithing to a church already, start doing so! Only 5% of churchgoers tithe, but American Christians earn $5.2 trillion annually. Imagine the transformative impact if every Christian gave ten percent. That could feed, clothe, and shelter a lot of people. It would also be an incredible witness to Christians’ commitment to their faith.
Once you start tithing, you don’t miss it. There are plenty of other things we give money to monthly without batting an eye.
Granted, not all churches are good stewards. Use discretion. I recommend including an allocation note for tithes if there is some particular aspect of the church you want to support. For example, for years I dedicated my tithes to paying off my church’s passenger van, because I did not want my church carrying any debt.
One time I allocated $10 of my tithes to take a friend of mine who worked at another church to lunch. Her boss—the choir director of the church—took her to lunch. That is the Christian equivalent of Van Halen’s “no brown M&Ms” rider—it was an easy test to make sure the church was doing as I instructed with the money (and I wanted to delight my friend).
Some Christians might argue we shouldn’t be so nit-picky with God’s money; I’d counter that I trust God, but I don’t always trust His followers.
That said, I do trust my church, Southside Free Will Baptist. It is a small church—we have forty on a typical Sunday morning (sixty if we serve lunch after service)—but the church is a good steward, and uses its resources well.
If you’d like to make a donation to my local church, you can do so here (make the check to “Southside Free Will Baptist Church”):
Southside Free Will Baptist Church
P.O. Box 5
Darlington, SC 29540
Just be sure to tell the pastor to take the pianist to lunch. ; D
The Portly Politico 
Tithes AND offerings. At my church’s annual meeting, it was agreed that we would hire a person who has worked in advertising and branding to help us present to the world our unchanging tradition and faith. She is working to make our FB page more professional and more outward facing, so to speak.
I tithe and with this work we’ve undertaken, every other tithe is given with the note to add to the advertising fund so the work can be completed. That will continue til the job is done.
But whenever something happy or wonderful happens in our lives, send a check or put in the plate something extra – an offering to praise God for His goodness. Think of it as pleasing incense wafting to heaven. If the church needs a ‘thing’, buy the thing and give it as an offering. How are the altar cloths looking? If they are beginning to look a little tired, replace them as an offering. Offer to take the priest’s vestments to the dry cleaner – I’ve done this. It is amazing the reaction on the faces of the folks at the dry cleaner – they may have no belief but recognize the significance of the item and are humbled that you would trust it to them. It’s very touching. What about paper plates, plastic flatware, napkins for coffee hour? Buy a bunch and bring them to coffee hour – someone has been buying them all along and you’ve given them a break. Don’t cook or bake? Stop at the store on your way to church and pick up cake and cookies and soda for the kids. These are all offerings to the Father and is a quiet way of showing love to our fellow congregants.
Tithes AND offerings.
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Boy, you said it there, Audre. I should have co-written this post with you! Offerings are so important, and come in many forms, as you noted. I loved the dry cleaning idea. Our pastor doesn’t wear vestments, seeing as we’re a more Evangelical-based denomination and less liturgical, but dry cleaning one of his suits would be a nice gesture.
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You have a good heart, Port.
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It comes with the high blood pressure and poor diet. ; D
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The important parts are just fine.
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Thanks, Audre!
Also, I have a little update post that I posted a short while ago: https://theportlypolitico.com/2022/04/15/easter-weekend-updates/
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Tina and I wish you and all your lovely readers a Happy Easter.
God bless you all and see you on Monday. 🙂
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May you and Tina abound in the joy of Easter – on that day and always.
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Have a Happy Easter Weekend, Ponty!
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