St. George Orthodox Church
Stewardship Pledge
It is an integral part of the Christian life to dutifully manage the resources that God in His gracious mercy has seen fit to bestow upon us. We cannot claim anything as entirely our own, for as we pray every Sunday in the Divine Liturgy, “all good things and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from thee, the Father of lights.” Thus, in gratitude for the gifts that God has given us, we render unto him a “first-fruits” of that which we have received. The amount ought to be determined in proportion to that which we have been given, not decided upon in any sort of random or arbitrary manner. Since before the giving of the Law in the Old Testament, the proportion to be given to God was set to be 10%, as we see Abraham offering a tenth of what he had to Melchizedek, king of peace and priest of the Most High God in Genesis 14. In fact, our very word for giving to God – to tithe – is itself literally just the Old English word for “tenth.”
A tenth, therefore, sets the standard. We know though that we as Christians live under grace and not under the law. This ought not be taken as an excuse for laxity in giving but rather as freedom from constraint to an absolute requirement. Remember, our Lord tells us that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 5:20)
Giving is an act of worship, it ought not be looked at as merely “keeping the parish afloat” or paying one’s dues. God is more than capable of providing for His Holy Church. Tithing is for you, it is a part of your own spiritual life, your growth in Christ, and ultimately your sanctification. In offering up our resources, we render praise unto God, and we sanctify all that we have. God is also not ignorant of our own needs, it is not His goal to drive us into poverty. Instead he offers blessing to those who are faithful with what they have been given: “Bring the full tithes unto the storehouse, that there may be food in my house; and thereby put me to the test says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.” (Malachi 3:11)
For those who are just starting a committed financial giving plan, it may be necessary to pledge at a level that falls below the biblical guidelines of a 10% tithe. The goal is to make a stewardship program and faithfully follow through be it time, talent or treasure. With time, we ought to seek to increase our giving incrementally toward the standard of 10%.
To make this process easier and more efficient, our Parish is using an online giving service called Tithe.ly. this service is completely secure and allows for setting up recurring periodic gifts. We all make mistakes, we all forget to tithe sometimes, setting up a recurring giving schedule helps us in that regard. Our parish’s Tithe.ly account can be accessed Here.