Tithe is Money

An incredible Super(Catholic)Blog recently covered a plan to tithe and how to boost your support for the Church.  It was a brilliant move on their part and shows real editorial insight.

One commenter, Ashley, asked a question about other forms of stewardship--time and talent.  (Under "About Me" on her blog is a picture of St. Elisabeth of Portugal.  On the off chance that "Ashley" is a pseudonym for St. Elisabeth, I'm going to treat her question with haste and great respect.)

Personally, I love the idea of tithing your time and talent as well as your treasure.  

Often we give money to causes that we want to support, but otherwise we don't have a great connection to it.  We use those extra envelopes at church to put a few dollars in for causes we may not even understand.  We get one every year for "Black and Indian missions" but I honestly have no idea how that money is used or even where it really goes.

Then there are the myriad of requests that come through the mail--cancer research, homes for the poor, prison outreach, convents and missions, colleges, police benefits, and more.  My email is also home to those requests--every time the Red Cross has an emergency, or the environment (per the environmental folks) is under attack, my email inbox lights up.

But there is a limit for most of us to how many good causes we can support financially.  And it is quick, without a lot of thought required.  An hour a month maybe, if you write the checks and envelopes by hand?

That's where the old phrase, "Time is money", comes into play.

Is it possible to give 10% of your time?  Treat sleep like we do taxes for financial tithing--subtract it out.  (I spend approximately 30 nights a year camping with the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts, so maybe I can count sleep!)

Post-sleep (at 8 hours per night) we have 584 hours per year (10% of your waking hours).

I read in a Knights of Columbus article a couple of years ago that the average adult volunteers 42% less than their parents and grandparents did.  That's a lot of time taken away from the betterment of our fellow man.

So, how could you use this time?  584 hours breaks down to 11.25 hours a week.  Out of 168 hours a week, assuming you are well rested, 112 are left.  Subtract 60 hours for work, and we have 52 left.

Now, here is where I cut you a break.

I only want 10% of the 52 hours.  You can even round down.  Call it 5.

How can 5 hours a week help?  Find something you love.  It could be at church or in your community.  Even make up your own project like mowing the yard of the elderly couple next door.  Give blood.  Help a pregnancy center.  Do the low-level grunt work no one else has time for like filing and data entry.  Make dinner for a family in need, or with a new baby, or a recent death.  These are not hard ideas to find.  Any anyone can do it.

The Boy Scouts of America is my passion for service. It is a great example of how something can start small and grow.  I probably spend 10 hours a week now with our parish's Cub Scout pack and Boy Scout troop.  Then there are the campouts and summer camps.  Popcorn fundraising in the fall. Council committees and more.  

I love it. It brings me great feelings of accomplishment that I don't get from my work.  I get to watch--help--young boys grow into men.  

The lasting effect on me is much greater for getting my own hands dirty than just passing along money.

5 hours a week can change the face of your parish, your town and, maybe most importantly, your life.  If you aren't spending 5 hours a week helping others (your immediate family doesn't count), think about stepping up and pitching in.  Ask your priest for ideas, or let him know you are available.  

Think about it:  5 hours of donated plumbing time; 5 hours of Knights of Columbus work; 5 hours of reading aloud to kids at the library; 5 hours of delivering meals; 5 hours of filing at the local animal shelter; 5 hours of sorting clothes at the pregnancy center; 5 hours of making phone calls to help raise money for a new library; or maybe 5 hours of prayer for the rest of us doing the physical work of volunteering.  (Honestly, I'd love to know that someone was praying for 5 hours to support my efforts.)

Please.  We need the help.

Having the Tithe of Your Life

This time of the year (Lent) brings us face to face with sacrifice.

Give to the poor.

Take care of your brother.

Do unto others.

Does anyone else want that last incredible piece of fried chicken?  No?  Well, it shouldn't go to waste...

Sorry, distracted.

Anyway, I'm always amazed by the relatively small offerings noted in the church bulletin.  Let's see, 250 registered families, assume an average household income of $40K a year, 52 weeks a year, probably giving half to other charities...so maybe 5% should come to the church?

I know, funny.  

That 5% would come in at $500K a year in that scenario, and the reality is closer to $200K.  

And let's be honest--we've all seen the basket come by with ones and fives dropped in.  So that $200K is from a few folks doing heavier lifting.

I think there are a lot of influences here.  

Habit keeps us doing the same thing we were doing 10 years ago (or 20 years ago).  Guilty as charged.  Things cost a lot more now, but I'm doing a lot better, too.  

Poor planning.  Most people's financial planning is not so great.  The desire to help their neighbor and support the church is there, but where will we get the money?  It doesn't grow on trees you know.  As a nation last summer, we barely kept our SUV's full of $4 gas...whew!

Punishing the church over your conflicts with the Church.  Not a position I'd want to defend someday.

I have a great solution to help you out.

Give 1%.  That's right, $1 out of $100.  $40K household income?  $400 a year, or $8 a week.  For many Catholics, that would be a little less than what we are doing now.  That's OK.  Resist the temptation to pitch in a $10.   Take the time to break that $10 before Mass--gum, donut for after Mass, Sunday paper.

Pitch the $8 in the basket because YOU HAVE A PLAN!

In 3 months, you sacrifice again.  2%.  $16 a week.  Write a check so you can get the tax deduction.  The $2 you were saving in the first 90 days--heck, that offsets most of the increase.  The average home has $92 in loose change tucked into drawers, sofa cushions, and change jars.

Whew, 2% is covered.  Now, for some this is already an improvement, so congrats!

90 more days, and we are up to 3%.  Now that sacrifice thing is kicking in a bit.  But if you are used to $16 a week now, you aren't really finding $24 now, right?  Just another $8.  

Let's see.  One lunch out.  The usual vices, cigarettes and beer--keep those.  I'm not after your vices.  This should be more fun than deprivation.  How about reviewing the bills and get rid of one thing you don't really benefit from (this does not include the money you are giving to church...).

Another 90 days, and you are back to Lent 2010.  4%.  Surely sometime in the past year you have gotten a raise worth $8 a week?  If not, give up a little beer or scale back your Netflix to 3 movies at a time.

Last time:  15 months after you started, you are now giving 5% to your church.  Our Church.  Changing the face of Catholicism with your sacrifice.  Father greets you at the door by name, and appreciates that you are giving $40 a week (the big leagues).

That wasn't so hard, was it?

Be "Anonymous" if you wish:  what percentage do you give to the church each week?  Could you do this plan?