God's Ministry, Not Our's - Tithing
Our Congregation’s Tithe:
As a congregation we tithe 10% of our income each month to other expressions of God’s ministry in the world. We’ve been doing this for nearly two years and have watched our impact as a congregation ripple far beyond ourselves as we join with others who are sharing God’s work.
Why do we tithe as a congregation?
Tithing reminds us that this is God’s church and God’s ministry, and we are participants. It helps us move from a place of anxiety about finances, to a place of trust, from a mindset of scarcity to trust in God’s abundance. Instead of isolated and self-protective, tithing also helps us see ourselves as part of God’s greater ministry, connected in the wide world to all the other folks living out the love and hope of Jesus.
What is a tithe?
The biblical covenant of tithing, giving 10% of what you earn back to God, has shaped the people of God throughout history, as a covenant of trust and faithfulness with God. We believe we participate with God in healing and hope-building in the world. Tithing is one way of consciously joining in.
Why tithe?
Tithing helps us remember that everything, actually, belongs to God, and we are merely stewards of what we’ve been given, called to generously share and bravely participate. We get to be part of what God is doing in other communities and lives, as well as our own. We are all connected!
Who have we given our tithes to?
2017 Tithes
Some of the other ministries we've have shared with in the past two years are:
What if I tithed in my own life?
Some of us already tithe, others of us have never thought about it. To the right is a chart of what tithing might look like for you.
Giving and Sharing
Giving, no matter how much, is always a way of living in gratitude. Sharing what we have with others reminds us we are God’s beloved children, and that we all belong to each other. And it feels great. Every time we practice generosity, we are reminded again who and whose we are.
As a congregation we tithe 10% of our income each month to other expressions of God’s ministry in the world. We’ve been doing this for nearly two years and have watched our impact as a congregation ripple far beyond ourselves as we join with others who are sharing God’s work.
Why do we tithe as a congregation?
Tithing reminds us that this is God’s church and God’s ministry, and we are participants. It helps us move from a place of anxiety about finances, to a place of trust, from a mindset of scarcity to trust in God’s abundance. Instead of isolated and self-protective, tithing also helps us see ourselves as part of God’s greater ministry, connected in the wide world to all the other folks living out the love and hope of Jesus.
What is a tithe?
The biblical covenant of tithing, giving 10% of what you earn back to God, has shaped the people of God throughout history, as a covenant of trust and faithfulness with God. We believe we participate with God in healing and hope-building in the world. Tithing is one way of consciously joining in.
Why tithe?
Tithing helps us remember that everything, actually, belongs to God, and we are merely stewards of what we’ve been given, called to generously share and bravely participate. We get to be part of what God is doing in other communities and lives, as well as our own. We are all connected!
Who have we given our tithes to?
2017 Tithes
- January – Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota: providing immigration legal assistance to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota.
- February – The Council on American-Islamic Relations: building coalitions that promote justice and encourage dialogue and mutual understanding.
- March – Central Church Fellowship: SEE BELOW*
- April – International Institute of Minnesota: welcomes refugees to the Twin Cities and assists in the transition process to their new community.
- May – LNPC Pentecost Practice Run. See above!
- June – Interfaith Outreach Community: an organization near and dear to Eva’s heart, which meets emergency and ongoing needs of the community.
- July – Nokomis Healthy Seniors: a neighborhood organization dedicated to advancing senior health and independent living.
- August – Igelsia Presbteriana Unida Añasco (First Presbyterian church of Anesco, Puerto Rico): coordinating hurricane relief and community rebuilding efforts in the mountain villages of central Puerto Rico.
- September – Marnita’s Table: seeking to close gaps across difference through making intentional social interaction the new pattern for society.
- October – Iglesia Fuego Pentecostes: the congregation that worships in our space three days a week, for their ministry and mission.
- November – TRUST: connecting South Minneapolis churches for community ministry with parish nursing and many other great programs.
- December – Exodus Lending: helping people break free from the cycle of payday loans.
Some of the other ministries we've have shared with in the past two years are:
- St. Joseph’s Home for Children for their spiritual life programs
- The Disabilities Task Force of the Presbytery to help host a conference on including people with disabilities in worship
- Bay Lake Camp, to support their camps and ministries
- The Ready? Set, Work! and the Center for Fathering programs at Urban Ventures.
- The Center for Social Healing helping new arrivals from Asian countries settle in and find community
- Peace Beyond Understanding, to help rebuild a beauty salon destroyed by racially-motivated arson in Jasper, Texas.
- Our Saviour’s Housing, to support housing ministry in Minneapolis
- A Missionary nurse working in Jordan in a Syrian refugee camp
- Exodus Lending, helping to break the cycle of poverty perpetrated by payday loans
- TRUST collaboration of congregations providing services in South Minneapolis
- Marnita's Table that brings people with different perspectives together for conversation and a meal
- Restorative Justice Community Action helping dialogue and healing happen in communities.
What if I tithed in my own life?
Some of us already tithe, others of us have never thought about it. To the right is a chart of what tithing might look like for you.
Giving and Sharing
Giving, no matter how much, is always a way of living in gratitude. Sharing what we have with others reminds us we are God’s beloved children, and that we all belong to each other. And it feels great. Every time we practice generosity, we are reminded again who and whose we are.
