1 b) Offerings
This is Jesus speaking…
Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue, and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect Justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.Luke 11:42
Anything you do that is extra, do not leave the former undone. When a special offering is taken at Church, be it for Missions, or an outside Ministry such as Teen Challenge, or any other worthy ministry, this would be an offering. It is a Gift to God, over and above your Tithe. As Jesus said, you should practice the latter without leaving the former things undone. Your Tithe comes undesignated into the Storehouse, which is your local church. Your offerings may go here or may go there, but it is separate… it is different.
If a special request is made at church, or elsewhere, and you feel touched and moved by the need, you should consider how you are to respond. You pay for offerings and Alms out of your overflow… the extra that you have after you have paid the tithe. It does not come out of the tithe. If you do not have extra money, then perhaps there is another way that you are to respond, such as Prayer or doing a service for the need. Be open to God’s leading.
At a Town Hall Meeting a few years ago, 2 priorities were identified: Debt reduction and Kitchen Renovation. If you felt strongly about one or both of these concerns, and you wanted to make a contribution, you need to understand your limitations. This money does not come out of the Tithe. It comes out of your overflow.
Other Special offerings received in the past were
- the Drainage Project of the Church property,
- clothing for the children of a couple of needy families.
- Clothing for the Community Life Center (a Ministry of free children’s clothes for the community to access)
This all comes out of your overflow.
Over flow can be defined like this: Your Income – Tithe –Budget = Overflow (Balance of what is left). Your Offerings and Alms come out of your Positive Cash Flow (which will be discussed later).