Monday, June 8, 2009

Who are the most generous givers?

An article in McClatchy Newspapers looks at the various income brackets in the U.S. and their average giving percentages. It turns out that the poor are the most generous in terms of percentage of income given.



The 2 most common reasons why the poor gave:

An understanding of sowing and reaping

"I believe that the more I give, the more I receive, and that God loves a cheerful giver," Davis said. "Plus I’ve been in their position, and someday I might be again."

Less fear about money than the rich

Herbert Smith, 31, a Seventh-day Adventist who said he tithed his $1,010 monthly disability check — giving away 10 percent of it — thought that poor people give more because, in some ways, they worry less about their money.

"We’re not scared of poverty the way rich people are," he said.

Pastor Coletta Jones, who ministers to a largely low-income tithing congregation in southeast Washington thinks that poor people give more because they ask for less for themselves.

"When you have just a little, you're thankful for what you have," Jones said, "but with every step you take up the ladder of success, the money clouds your mind and gets you into a state of never being satisfied."

What Jesus had to say about it…

As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4

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