Tithing

I'm not aware of a great debate on tithing...besides the internal debate in so many of us regarding whether we can "afford" it. I think most would agree that we are to give to our church and that God has set the rate at 10%. In fact, tithe means a tenth part payment. In a recent sermon about tithing at my temporary church home at First Christian Church, Pastor Steve called to our attention 1 Corinthians 16:2 in regards to supporting a preacher. This passage indicates that the money was set aside on the first day of the week. Could this have been the regular meeting time? According to the study notes in my Bible, Justin Martyr indcates that in his time (c. A.D. 150), offerings were brought to the church on Sundays. All this to say that in my quest for the function of the Sunday morning meetings, I see tithing/other giving as a key and biblical item.

So I found out that PayPal can help a website set up online giving. I move around a lot, so I think the idea of being able to give online to my church would be super convenient. So the obvious pros are convenience and who knows whether some stranger surfing might decide to drop some cash, too? The first con I see is that 1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 of every transaction goes to PayPal. From what I hear that is a really low rate comparatively speaking. However, it's still money going somewhere other than the church itself. You can see my experimental "Make a Donation" button in the section at your right. It is an experimental button just to see how it works, but if anyone does happen to give money, it will go to Union Hill Church. You only have my word for now, but maybe someday we'll have a link on our website! :)