As a congregation, we believe we are called to give in response to God’s generosity in order to fulfill the mission of Christ to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. As each of us gives, we have the opportunity to reach others for Christ as well as make positive impacts in our community which reflect the world Jesus lived and taught.
Tithing is the giving of 10% of your resources. We find throughout the Scriptures where God invites us to tithe, mostly in the Old Testament (Abraham and Melchizdek, Jacob gives a tenth at Bethel). What we discover in the New Testament is Jesus and the early church encourages us to give beyond a tithe! Jesus was keenly aware of the place that money can take in our lives. He encouraged followers to live differently in regards to money. A tithe becomes a way to evaluate what we value and what matters to us. Moreover, what we discover as we give is a deep joy within our lives. We are created to reflect God’s character, and God’s character is one of generosity. People often ask, “Is one supposed to tithe off of your net or gross?” Honestly, we encourage you to give and decide in your heart what to give. Most importantly, we want you to discover the joy in giving and blessing others!
One of the benefits of giving to a church is the ability to claim these gifts on your taxes. We send out quarterly statements so you can track your giving. In January of each year, we send statements out for the previous year for tax purposes.