"This is God's Ministry, Not Ours" - Our practice of Tithing
Our Congregation’s Tithe:
As a congregation we tithe 10% of our pledge and offering income each month to other expressions of God’s ministry in the world. We’ve been doing this for nearly three 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!
Whom have we given our tithes to?
2019 Tithes
2018 Tithes
Some of the other ministries we've have shared with in the past few 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 pledge and offering income each month to other expressions of God’s ministry in the world. We’ve been doing this for nearly three 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!
Whom have we given our tithes to?
2019 Tithes
- January - The Sheridan Story. $736.This tithe allowed us to begin our relationship with Hiawatha Academy in November, sponsoring the first four children in the food program we now participate in!
- February - Anuak Youth Scholarship. $852. We joined several churches in our presbytery to help provide camp scholarships to first generation youth.
- March, April, May - LNPC Roof replacement. $595, $649, $329. Part of our six months this year that we are giving to honor the many groups that use our space, to help replace the roof and keep the building a place of hospitality for the community.
- June - St. Joseph's Home for Children. $1345.45. These funds supported both Movie Camp, and the leftovers went to the garden project.
- July & August - LNPC Roof Replacement. Part of our six months this year that we are giving to honor the many groups that use our space, to help replace the roof and keep the building a place of hospitality for the community.
- September - Our Saviour's Housing. Providing housing services to people experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis.
- October - LNPC Roof replacement. Part of our six months this year that we are giving to honor the many groups that use our space, to help replace the roof and keep the building a place of hospitality for the community.
- November - TRUST. Connecting South Minneapolis churches for community ministry with parish nursing and many other great programs.
- December - Exodus Lending. Helping people in our community break free from the cycle of payday loans.
2018 Tithes
- January – Our Saviour's Housing: $1198. providing housing services to people experiencing homelessness in Minneapolis.
- February – Marnita’s Table: $796. seeking to close gaps across difference through making intentional social interaction the new pattern for society.
- March – Chaplain Amy & the St. Joe's Garden: $713. Master gardners have come on to the project, and now St. Joe's has a whole program that helps the kids plant, grow, harvest and cook fresh food.
- April – Hiawatha Back to School: $839. helping to provide necessary supplies for children returning to school in our neighborhood.
- May – St. Joseph Home for Children, Movie Camp. $993. Paying for program to help emergency shelter kids create and film a movie based on the parables of Jesus.
- June – Minnesota Indian Resource Center: $918. to help meet the needs of those in the encampment on Hiawatha and Cedar.
- July – Presbyterian Disaster Assistance: $1311. to help with disaster relief at the California Wildfires.
- August – Days for Girls Program: &818. creating and distributing reusable sanitary supplies for girls in Kenya, allowing them to stay in school.
- September – 21st Century Academy at Liberty Church:$1011. comprehensive academic environment in North Minneapolis that prepares scholars for success in culturally competent colleges, expansive relevant careers and high impact global leadership.
- October – Presbyterian Clearwater Forest: $1566. Our beautiful denominational camp near Brainard, that provides a retreat and community and faith building environment for many.
- November – TRUST: $942. connecting South Minneapolis churches for community ministry with parish nursing and many other great programs.
- December – Exodus Lending:$1546. helping people break free from the cycle of payday loans.
Some of the other ministries we've have shared with in the past few 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
- 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.
