Giving

To put it in simple terms, it is what God tells us to do. A common error of thought for many Christians is that we are giving to God a portion of what is ours. In truth, the tithe is not ours to give to God, but is God’s for us to give back. We consider it a privilege to have it to give back to Him as it represents a tangible acknowledgement that everything we have belongs to Him. See 2 Corinthians 9:7 and 10-11. It’s God Honoring: The Bible teaches us to honor God with our wealth. (Proverbs 3:9) By setting up a recurring contribution scheduled to come out of your account on the day you specify, you can ensure your a portion of what God has blessed you with is faithfully given back to Him. It is also a tool that allows you to stay on your budget.

Your gifts are used to fund God’s work through the ministry and missions of First Christian Church. We are actively involved globally to reach the least reached and the poorest of the poor with the Good News of Jesus and empowering them to lift themselves out of demeaning poverty. We are also involved locally to serve the most disadvantaged in our community—the elderly, single moms, physically challenged, the poor, the incarcerated and the homeless.

There is a clear biblical difference between tithes and offerings. The Bible mentions both of them separately, even though the Lord required both to be brought to Him. For an individual, a tithe is the tenth of all the income that God provides. For a business owner, total income would be the profit or net earnings from the business. Offerings are gifts given to God above the tithe. There are people who God has blessed financially who may be able to give 20%, 30% or even more of their income and still live comfortably.

Take the 1090 Challenge. It is simple: Give 10% for 90 Days and see what happens in your finances. This is the only area of the Christian life where God's asks us to "test Him." See Malachi 3:8-12.

In Proverbs 3:9-10, God’s Word instructs us to give Him the very first and best part of the income He has blessed us with. If we tithe on our "net," we are putting other expenses and deductions above the tithe and not making God first in our giving or in our finances.

It is when we are having financial struggles we can’t afford not to tithe. During difficult economic times many people think that if they give they may not be able to pay their rent, purchase gas for their vehicle or even buy groceries for the week. It’s a struggle that we understand but we also understand that God is bigger than our financial struggles. It is a good time to ask ourselves, "Are we trusting in our abilities or in God?" II Corinthians 9:6 reminds us, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." For many people we would simply challenge you to reevaluate your priorities. We are not advocating drinking water and eating rice everyday, selling your car, cancelling your electric and water service, and spending no money except that which will be spent on food, clothing and shelter. What we would suggest is that you evaluate what you ARE spending your money on and ask yourself if you’re living as though all you have belongs to God. God is always faithful to take care of us. No matter what we are currently experiencing financially, God promises to meet all of our needs. See Philippians 4:19.

No, it is very easy. Simply click on the Online Giving link and it will take you to a user friendly website where you can set up your online account. If you have any questions about your online giving account, you can contact Gary Paisley in the Finance Office.

Yes. It is the policy of FCC to protect your personal privacy. We request information from a user on our site if the user performs a financial transaction. Online giving transactions are processed with Vanco Services. In this case, a user must provide information including but not limited to name, address, and financial information, including but not limited to credit card information or bank account information. Vanco Services takes data security very seriously and has achieved Level 1 compliance.

The online giving registration form requires you to give us contact information (like your name and e-mail address), and demographic information. The information you give to us through our online giving system is for the sole purpose of processing your contribution. We do not sell or give away your private information for any reason. All contributions to FCC are income tax deductible and are made with the understanding that FCC has complete discretion and control over the use of all donated funds.