Tax Tithe

Tithing is not a “requirement” to be a member at Grace, but we do teach tithing as a good way to consider what good stewardship might look like for you. By tithing we mean 10% of a person’s income. In other words, when we make $10, we give $1 to God. When we make $100, we give $10. Our tithe is to be brought to the “storehouse” - in the Old Testament that was the temple, in the New Testament, that’s the church - and when we tithe, God promises to abundantly bless us, spiritually, physically and financially.  The Old Testament prophet Malachi gives us the promise that if we tithe God will “throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it” (Malachi 3:10). In his sermon, The Use of Money, John Wesley preached about "earning all you can, saving all you can, and giving all you can." For Wesley, the tithe was not the ultimate goal of the Christian; it was the standard, the normative mark, the place to “start our thinking” as we consider the amount to give.

This Spring we at Grace are going to take a different approach to tithing.  We are going to encourage members to “tithe” off their income tax refund, if they receive one. The IRS reports that so far in 2025 they have sent out just over 8 million refunds for an average of $2,065.  They also report that about 2/3 or 64% of taxpayers will receive a refund. You may or may not tithe in your weekly giving.  But tithing off a tax refund is a good way to practice this spiritual discipline that almost everyone could afford.

What would be the possibilities if we tithed our tax refunds?  Well, if 2/3 of our 169 families (or member units) get an average refund of $2,065 and tithe 10% to Grace, it would come to just over $21,000 for our important ministries. But since this would be special giving  “over and above” our generous weekly support, and since $21,000 would go a long way at underwriting our goal to hire a Family Ministries Director,  we would like to designate any Tax Tithe gifts for hiring the Family Ministries Director.  Having these funds in by the end of April would allow us to make this addition to our ministry staff right away and without worry for the financial picture later in the year.  When you give a tax refund tithe, on your envelope or on-line you can write or click the designation for ‘Tax Tithe.’ Thank you for your support of Grace United Methodist Church and God bless!

- Ralph Salzgaber