Annual Parish Financial Report
Ed Scott, Finance Council Chair
FinanceCouncil@StPhilipMinistries.com
“Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” – Luke 6:38
A Message from Father Ed
Dear Parishioners & Friends of St. Philip the Apostle,
What is the difference between the scripture’s directive to tithe and charitable giving? A tithe (10%) is the portion of every dollar we earn that we give back to God as an act of humble obedience to God’s command. It is an outward expression of our love for God. Charitable giving is any amount we give in addition to our tithe. Charity is to do more than we have to do.
While tithes and charitable giving are different, they do have one important trait: both seek to increase our faith in God as the Ultimate Giver. Giving is an expression of our relationship with God. What we do with our money reflects where our hearts are.
Why did scripture command us to tithe? It was to support the Temple, that is, the mission of the Temple to worship God, teach, and to care for the widows and orphans. As you consider your giving, you can divide your tithe to support other means of furthering the work of the Lord. The most important part of the tithe remains the same, however, and that is to make the work of the Temple – our parish – our priority. This is to put God first.