The Blessing of Tithing

a reflection by Karl J. Vidt

Each week as I place my offering in the plate at MCC San Jose, I feel the blessing of God wash over me.  The blessing is substanStial.  I experience God’s blessing in many experiences in my life.  This one has a particular history in its making.

 In 1985, a year after I became a member of MCC San Jose, I accepted an invitation to join its Board of Directors.  In doing so I was surprised to learn that it takes a bit of money to keep a church running and for the most part, the only place that money comes from are the people that attend the church.  Up until that point, I had dropped the occasional $20.00 bill in the offering plate and felt good about doing so.  I realized that I cared a great deal for MCC San Jose and wanted to support it in a more substantial way. 

I decided to look into the practice of tithing.  To me that meant giving to the church 10% of what I made.  I calculated the amount and was astounded at how much it appeared to be. Read more »