Of Tithing

I've been pretty slack in tithing over the past 2 years - ever since I did a church-swap. My previous church supplied nice little tithe envelopes, you could fill out a list of what was what inside, seal it and stick it in the offering dish. Current church has no such thing, and I haven't yet found out how to pay the tithe while making a distinction from plain old offering, or what the tithe is used for. Previous church it went into a central "coffer" and was used in part to pay pastor's salaries via the central church administration office. Current church is a pretty rich one - do they even need my little tithe?

I do think tithing is important - giving a part of what you have back to the God that gave it to you in the first place, as acknowledgement of His blessings. I heard once that you should financially support the leaders where you are spiritually fed - as in the old Temple model of the priests getting the tithes of food and drink.

But I've been rethinking how it should be done recently. Perhaps it's part of this being a 100% Christian thing, as blogged about yesterday.

I want to give it to be used as a direct blessing, to make a difference to those who need it. So I've been thinking - how could I do that? Should I bypass the church administration and give privately? I know folk who use it to help needy families instead of giving to the church, or similar. (Of course the church is not necessarily happy, as it's less cash in their accounts....)

The major thought that keeps popping up is to give to a nearby little church, recently built, in a VERY poor area (known in South Africa as a sqatter camp, or informal settlement). The building was funded by the Baptist church I serve in, but it's a day-to-day struggle for them to function and survive. They don't have a lot of offering to give, and that's the pastor's only means of support. The building is a mere shell - cement-block walls, tin roof, benches inside, bare floor.

Now I know I could give my tithe to help the pastor cope, but I'd really like to use it toward giving them the basics for communion - those little glasses, wooden trays with holes to hold the glasses, and serving dishes for the bread. My neighbour does woodwork, and I want to ask him to make the trays, but in the meantime I'm going on a communion-equipment hunt. I have no idea where to start, if there's a General Supplier of All Things Churchy who hands out the glasses, or if I should just go find something similar in the tot-size glass section at the nearest store.

I also have an image of perhaps painting a mural on the inside front wall of the church - inspirational images, culturally relevant to the group that worships there - maybe.....

Perhaps they have other more pressing needs that I need to go dig up.

All I know is that this year tithe will be given, and that it has to be done as more than a mere cash donation to the nearest church. It's got to really MEAN something this time around.