Perfectly Practical #83 - Giving to Your Church

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.  :)