Why I give…..?
Tithing. What a foreign, strange concept, especially being raised as a Roman Catholic. I wonder, if there are other people who think the same. When I was a child and later, a young adult, I never thought about giving to the (R.C) church because I and others had this impression that the Archdiocese of San Francisco dictated the budget to all its parishes. With this idea, coming from the top, from the Archbishop to the parish priest, we, the parishioners, had no voice to decide on how to allocate the funds for the parish and the diocese and its programs. There was no connection, no personal investment.
However, when I started attending St. Aidan’s, San Francisco in the Eighties, the word, “tithing” was introduced to me for the first time and later, expanded over time at various churches in Chicopee, MA., Mountain View, Ca. and finally, Fremont, Ca. The Rev. Canon W. David Crockett, of Diocese of Western Massachusetts and author of “Three Sides of a Coin”, explained tithing or giving as an outward action of being “grateful, responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God”. He further used the analogy of a stool, whereby the three legs, being time, talent and treasure. Greg and I have taken that lesson wholeheartedly. When times were financially rough, we would give what we could, along with offering our talents and time to specific projects/ministries at our past and now, our home church, St. James. We were and are giving 100%.
Like the “Stone Soup” story or the “Fishes & Loaves” parable, even if it’s $1, $10, or higher on a weekly or monthly basis, my money will be multiply along with others to provide the upkeep of our church, staff and its ministries and outreach efforts. I feel personally, spiritually connected and invested with gratitude.