A BUMP 4 U ... in ur search for money exchange name

How about in the bulletin - Ante Up - fill the kitty.

How about...

Minister Gestures forward....

"Come...empty your HEARTS and your WALLETS!!"

I have always in none UC settings called Tithes & Offerings

Hmm.. we don't have a bulletin any more... so I'm not sure what we'd use if we did.

"Sharing the Tokens of God's Gifts to us"... 'cause, hey, what is money except a symbolic indicator of our work and our play?

We're working on changing the time where we share the gifts, so that people have the chance to note on a slip of paper a non-financial offering to God that they are working on making this week. they're placed on the plates and celebrated in the same way the financial gifts are. Although they aren't shared, the notes are bundled up and left on the communion table during the week... kind of a written prayer or covenant.

I might use a phrase from some of the more traditional communion liturgies to describe the offering - "These are the gifts of God for - and from! - the people of God. Thanks be to God!"

Hmmm... as I re-read this... I'm not particularly answering BSmith's question.

Sorry about that. 8/

Christ's peace - r

I think that if a new person starts attending the church on a regular basis, they will quickly figure out what the offerring is about. I am one of the people who collects the tithes and offerrings at my church. If a newcomer takes money out and catches my eye, I know to pass the plate their way. If they don't, I just smile my "welcome" to them, and move on.

When new people visit my church, I am mostly concerned with helping them to feel comfortable and at home. I would not expect a newcomer to provide for the monetary needs of the church. In my opinion, this is inappropriate and unnecessary. My God is mighty to provide - He is not short on cash.

I find the "if you are just visiting don't feel obliged to pay up" message very welcoming and comforting at least in the couple of times I have been in non-UCC's. We don't use it, but maybe we should.

I think it also acts as a trigger to people to think; am I a visitor? After you hear those same words a few times, from the same people, you realize I'm not visiting, I'm attending. Then you cough up some cash, and see how you can get involved, now that you realize you *are* involved.

That's sort of how my church transition worked.

It was always reffered to as the"collection", when I attended church in UK, and I can never remeber people scrambling for money to put in "collection plate" it was an automatic part of the service, we had no such things as bulletins. mind you in those days we did follow the order of service from prayer books.

In the United Church of my childhood, it was called the "collection", too.

At the church I attend now, we have little cards that PAR givers can use if they like putting something into the offering plate. I am pretty much the only one who uses them, but I like them.

Giving an offering is a part of showing our love to God. What a person gives is between them and God.

That being said, a new comer to a church should not feel obliged to give any money at all. That is not the first impression that should be given. A new comer should be welcomed and given a chance to decide if this is a home for them.

If I was new to a church, and someone stuck an offering plate under my nose, without even getting to know me, I would be walking out by the nearest door. I would figure these people have very little faith in God, that they need to manipulate a visitor to support their cause. As I said before, my God is not short on cash.

Falling under the some minds think alike, Killer Rabbit, this one is for you :-)

Speed Bump

It is copy right protected which is why I've posted the link

Actually, "they" didn't say they were concerned with "showing our respect to the minister and the establishment...", I did.

I was not implying that the whole reason you are there isn't out of your love for God, and if you see it fit to give your money as a symbolic showing of your love for God then that's great. I simply figured that the money for the general operations of the establishment has to come from somewhere. As you said, 'God is not short on cash', but the taxman sure is.

It has always amazed me how retarded people, in general think that I am, generally, when I make statements that for them seem simple and untutored. I have had the heavy sighs and attempts to explain to the novice several times until the individuals in question realize that they don't really know the answer to my question because at first they thought they knew what was talking about but really, they have no idea and generally, further on with that,they don't want to spend the mental energy it takes to think up a question that goes deeper than they care to delve.

like making a statement about how odd it is to have money as part of the service. Well, it is . It is odd because the subject of the church is how to handle the non-material and non-visable.

And the stewardship to western society is completely about subsitituting money for time and the dysfunctional form of community and we have simply reinforced this by asking people for money and their 3 hail Mary's.

I would prefer to give money at the door on the way in and have that as a form of aknowledgement of administration costs which would leave the service open to spiritual and community relationships.
Having to cushion the money business in various forms of language borders on cynacism and aliention of the spiritual direction because the minister is asked to be a vaudevillian agent.

A very conservative church I attended as a guest once simply did not have an offering in their order of service. There was a small locked box, something like a mailbox on the back wall. If you are so inclined, you put an offering in the box.
But there was no place in the service for offering and nobody asked.

And they were a thriving church.

Food for thought - or the maybe the plate...

Arminius and Dave,
The offering has a liturgical significance in the service - both historically and still today. It is part of the response to the word of God. The word is read, then expounded upon by the preacher. Afterward, we respond to the word with worshipful songs, prayers and also...the returning (not "giving") of gifts. It's not the same as a donation, although it "smells" the same. We offer ourselves and the fruit of our labour back to God - symbolically as a gesture that acknowledges that everything we have comes from God in the first place.
So we can donate to a lot of things...worthy causes and such...but an offering is a liturgical giving back - a worshipful experience. This is why a joyful doxology or burst of praise is sung as the offerings are brought forward. Doxologies remind us of the greatness of God, not ourselves.
...so a box in the back is fine, but then a significant piece of the liturgy would be missing. A bit like having a tray at the back with bread and wine on it to grab as you go out if you wish...

Hi Killer Rabbit,
You wrote:
"Ariel, I don't see how you can consider 10% of your income to belong to god."

I always considered the 10% tithe to cover more than money. I consider it a call to give at least 10% of your time, resources, ernergy and talents as well.

That's just my take on it. I'm not sure what the Biblical reference to tithing is, but I do know the concept is scriptural and taken from the Old Testament.

LoveJoy: Ah, an offering is a return gift, a "Gegengeschenk," (which is the special noun for it in German) Not quite the same as a donation, and more meaningful.

Thank you so much for this enlightening definition. I shall retain "Offering" as a treasured word.

I don't find it in the least weird or uncomfortable to have an offering in church; it is returning thanks, with gifts that are tokens of our love and esteem, offered to God through the church with the prayer that the gifts we give will be used to further the mission of Christ. "Give up the contents of our wallets" sounds like a very angry, frightened response.
The non-material and non-visible? Like, for example, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, visiting those in jail, healing the sick, selling everything you have and giving to the poor, offering a cup of cold water, or a flask of perfume, or gold, frankinscensen and myrhh, or turning water into wine, or offering bread and fish, providing for the disciples out of your resources, etc. --those are all part of the gospel. Sounds pretty earthy to me.
Certainly if you'd rather not put something in the offering plate, that's your choice. But I deeply resent being called a vaudevillian agent, whatever that is, (the tone isn't complimentary) and the three minutes out of the hour that we take to return thanks is hardly worthy of that vitriolic outburst.

Weeze

The work of mission is something that the church does and hopefully it is done with understanding of what the mission is really about. I don't think there is a need to call for money during the service,though. Clearly, there is support for the idea of leaving your money at the door and then walking in to support your mind and body in meditation and the symphony of being and spirit that are allowed our earthy selves. We do this to clear our minds and listen to the network - mind, body, spirit. This is best done without constant interruptions from advertising companies as to the benefits of our material donations to support the equality of the mind, body and spirit of the community. When we are replanted and equating with the world again, we can be quite certain as to where and why we have given our money at the door.

also, The word "tithe" is no longer an egalitarian word and it brings up negative connotations that can not be ignored. It is like asking women who have been brutally raped by their fathers to say a prayer to "our father who are't in heaven." You can lay guilt trips on them, but the guilt belongs to "you' not to the individual whose eyes have been opened as to a deeper structure or nature to the existence of "God".

Damn.  We may make a critical reader out of you yet.

SPAM!

That isn't our practice at my Baptist church. We pass the plate after our first block of praise music. This is before the morning message.