Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Winner
 

Check out this article about a church rejecting the $600,000 offering / tithe the winner of a $6 million dollar lottery in Florida tried to give.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/t...provider=email

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Very commendable.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Very insane in my book!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I wonder how many Apostolic churches would have turned down the money? :evilglee

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

How is that commendable?

The Bible says that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous (Paraphrased)

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

He is not for the lottery so he doesn't want their $$. In a sense taking the money when you know where it came from, would be condoning it.

I can see it both ways. I'd probably take the $$ myself.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I say the devil has had that money long enough!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

My point is that all churches accept donations from people who are probably living in sin, I"m sure that they don't do a background check on every visitor that comes in and puts money in the offering. I'm sure there are alchoholics, adulterers, drug dealers, etc who contribute every day.

What's the big deal about accepting money from the lottery?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I have a Deposit Slip available from our church! I'd be more than willing to help them out with a place to deposit those funds. That would be a tremendous blessing to our current building fund.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I respect the guys conviction. Did not say I 100% agree.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Gotcha.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Crazy. Maybe the guy will give it to a church that has a program to help the poor.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Foolish feller!!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I think we need to respect that person's conviction.

I remember reading a story of Paddy who went to his priest and requested baptism for his dog that had died.

The priest was irate and told him it was sacrilegious to even think of baptizing a dog with holy water since dogs were dumb animals without souls.

Paddy lowered his head, fighting back tears, and said, "The Baptist minister offered to baptize my dog, Father but I'd rather you baptize him. I was going to give the Baptist minister $100."

Father Mahoney quickly said, "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Why didn't you tell me the dog was Catholic?"

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

The churches I was raised with would reject the money - even if it were not from the lottery. They don't see money as a single most needed thing in or outside the church.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I have heard pastors talk about what they would do with the money if they won the lottery...big pastors too.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

This situation made me think of the story about the guy caught in the flood. Someone in a boat tries to get him to leave with them but he says no the Lord is going to save him.

Then after the water rose some more and he was perched on the top of his house a helicopter tried to pluck him to safety but he refused to go saying that God would save him.

The water finally topped the house and after a few valient minutes treading water he drowned. As he entered the Pearly Gates he indigniantly told the Lord "I thought you said you would never leave or forsake us? I expected you to save me and not let me die in that flood!"

To which the Lord replied "I sent a boat and then a helicopter, what more did you want?????".

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

In the Methodist church this would call for a Board Meeting. Can you imagine the discussion at that one?! Whew..........

One person would point out that if they didn't accept the money, the guy would probably change churches so he could give and make himself still feel good.

The next guy would argue that they couldn't possibly accept the devil's money.

Joe Blow would then argue that it didn't matter who wanted to give their money, that part was between them and God. What mattered was what are we gonna do with the windfall?

Susie Sunshine then points out that if the media gets ahold of this, they are doomed either way. If they accept it, then they are accepting the devil's money. If they reject it, then they are being holier-than-thou.

I'm telling you - this meeting could go on all night long!!!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Most of the churches I have seen have native american members who tithe on their gaming checks. The churches have never turned them down.

So I find it commendable as well that this church would turn it down.

Of course, I personally do not see 'gambling' as a sin per say. Just an unwise use of money, along with thousands of other things we find to do with our spare cash (many JUST as addicting).

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

HA! This is fun...I'll bite.

If the UPC church board got together, it might look something like this:

Pastor: Brother Bob has won the lottery and he wants to pay tithes of a millyun dollars.

Board Member #1. You don't think that if he pays his tithes people will expect you to stop taking up offerings?

Pastor: Brother that is a good point, maybe we should keep it quiet

Board member #2: Well the press already knows and they are wondering what you are going to do with the money.

Pastor: (Carpenter: I better stop here) :slaphappy :slaphappy

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

What if it's a UPC church which is not "board run" and the pastor gets all the tithes? That large tithe windfall would have no effect on meeting expenses for running the church and would be no excuse for members to cut back on their offerings.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

It's none of their biz how the pastor spends his money! :)

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

The devil had the money long enough, why not use it for the Lord? I don't agree with playing the lottery, but why not accept it and use the money to use it for the glory of God?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I agree!

Perhaps we shouldn't pay tithes from the stock market either. There is a chance you can lose your money there as well. :(

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I agree. I commend them for being consistant and taking such a stand and clearly the are not greedy.....

however I am and I would have taken it in a heart beat :ursofunny

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Probably most of them.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I know people who look at investing in the stock market as the same level as gambling. But you've got more money at stake with the stock market.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Very true, but also a greater chance of not losing ALL of it. :)

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

I wonder what that Pastor would do if the same member, now 6 million dollars richer (assuming taxes were already taken) were to buy a bus and donate it to the church?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Exactly.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

If this is the case, then I see a certain pastor now having plenty of money to go ahead and retire. Lucky him!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Admit it, you were just looking for a fight weren't ya?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Lol, yep! Things are too quiet tonight, I'm bored. Let's duke it out!

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Here ya go Phelps.. Anybody that would take that tithes $$$.. they would split hell wide open!!!

:club

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

can a bitter fountain bring forth sweet water?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

The lame brained pastor would have thrown the knowout punch.

If he decided not to give the money at all.

The man simply had no way to win, when the pastor did one thing.

He wanted the free publicity his rejecting the tithe would bring.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

So Neck,
what would have been the godly thing for the Pastor to do?

If he accepts the money, the newspaper comes an asks him, do you preach against gambling or your congregation playing the lottery? He says yes.

They would then have a media feeding frenzy on the sweet chum of hypocrisy floating on top of his oh-so righteous message.

So hypothetically....."Pastor Neck..., how do you instruct against gambling in any form, while being able to reconcile your willingness to grow the church treasury from such actions?

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

If I could remember it, I'd quote the scripture about God giving to the righteous what the wicked have laid up-- I'm not quoting it word for word, but gist is, if I was the Pastor, I would have not had any issue in taking that or any other $$$ given to me as Pastor or to the Church.

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

Oh no you ditten! Bring it!:dance

Re: Church Rejects $600,000 Tithe From Lottery Win
 

so you think you could teach and instruct against gambling and the lottery but then welcome the proceeds that come from your students that participate in these same things?

Worse than that, could you present a consistent statement to those who are "without" (the local newspaper reporters), seeking for you to reconcile your two seemingly contracting actions?