Dear Church,

On Sunday, September 18, we are challenging our congregation to “Bring A Tithe” (giving 10% of our weekly income) as an offering. As we come out of the summer months, we want to make sure the support for our ministries is strong. The “Bring A Tithe” Sunday is an exercise to see what God can do through us if we offer ourselves up in faithful obedience. Let us pray that God will open the windows of financial provision for this special Sunday. Let us also pray for what God would have us do as a church family. Imagine, for a moment, if, for one Sunday, everyone brought a tithe to the church.

Giving is voluntary. It is a spiritual act of worship between God and us. You may think this is just a gimmick, but something significant happens in our hearts when we give. Giving is a practice of gratefulness, a way of thanking God for what He has done in our lives. If you are wondering whether you have things for which to be grateful, consider this:

• If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, then you are richer than 75% of those who live in the world. 
• If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. 
• If you have money in the bank and your wallet and spare change in a dish somewhere in your house, you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthiest. 
• If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than 3 billion people worldwide. 
• If you never experience the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, or the pains of starvation, you are ahead of 500 million people. 
• If you can read, you are more blessed than 2 billion people on earth who cannot.

Christian giving is not just a practice of gratitude; it is also a challenge to consider what we have and to prayerfully set some of it aside, according to God’s leading, because we are thankful for God’s blessings.