deacon joan b. allen

Good Morning Church: 

This is the second Sunday we have had “Prove the Tithe Sunday”. This is a two part mission, first, we explain why we are tithers and the second reason is to encourage others to become tithers.

I am a tither not to receive blessings; I am a tither because God has been so good to me. I have been blessed to join the official senior citizens of Shiloh, God has given eighty years of live this year. This may not seem important to some, but to me God has blessed me to outlive the age of parents and two of my siblings. In all of my eighty years of life and out of the goodness of God, I have never had a day where there was no food or shelter.

Shiloh, God has blessed us for one hundred and fifty two years, let us show God our love for His goodness. Let us become tithers.

I am so grateful for all that He has done for me and will continue to give at least a tenth of my time, talents and treasure to Almighty God.

deacon christine barker-odom
How Do I Define Christian Stewardship? 

Good morning. As I was preparing for this Prove the Tithe Sunday, I pondered on “How Do I Define Christian Stewardship?” For me Christian stewardship is my response to my gratitude to God for what He has done for me in spite of my shortcomings. For me stewardship is not haphazard. It is an intentional, conscientious decision to commit to the fundamentals of being a Christian through prayer, sharing my skills and talents, and giving financially to the church.

Now don’t get me wrong, I did not come to this place in my life overnight and it has not always been easy for me. Though I have been a single mom, who raised two sons and two nephews with the help of my aunt, it really is not about all that. It is about showing an attitude of gratitude for God’s grace and mercy. In that vein, I cannot begin to count how God has blessed me and my family over the years.

This year marks the 40th year of my career. While I have worked for several companies, I have not had a single day of unemployment. And God willing, I will be retiring later this year. I have a loving family, which includes a wonderful husband and two beautiful grandchildren. I am in reasonable good health – spiritually, physically, financially, and mentally – though some who know me best question that mental part. God has never wavered with His faithfulness to me – the least I can do is be faithful with my time, talents, and treasure.

Now, it is not my place to try to convince you how to use your time, talent, and treasure. That is between you and God. However, with that said, genuine love for God should be expressed through service to others because a heart that truly loves God will be filled with compassion for others which includes effective use of your time, talent, and treasure. So I encourage you to prayerfully seek guidance from God in your journey to embrace a stewardship lifestyle. Completing the tithing pledge card is an excellent start. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 speaks to the wealth or “abundance” of our lives as being a gift, not just a given. That is, no more than with life itself is what we have something we can earn or deserve. It is not about entitlement and I submit to you that whatever we have is a blessing that is meant to be shared with others. So I can only stand here and tell you that I am fully committed to do what I can to further the kingdom of God. And stewardship is how I do it.

mary buckley
June 18, 2017 

Deacon Duke Smith has given me 2 minutes to share with you my blessings and basis for my tithing.

God has truly blessed me. As I often reflect on my life, from poverty as share croppers in Mississippi to integrating an all-white school, graduating from universities, health challenges, a career, a world traveler, in every aspect God has been there and carried me through all the difficulties and there were many.

When I was 4 or 5 years old, my grandmother or mother would give each of my siblings and me 3 pennies, a nickel or a dime to put on the collection table. I wanted badly to take that nickel and buy an ice cream, but she’d told us it was for the church because it belonged to God. When it came time for church collections, our preacher would quote Malachi about robbing God. I didn’t understand that, because it was my money and since I didn’t see God, I didn’t know how I was robbing him.

When I asked my father why I had to give the church money, he’d say because the Bible tells us to, even though he never showed me where (in the Bible). But, I trusted my dad because he’d never told me anything other than the truth (except at Christmas about Santa Claus as I later learned). My father feared God and he wanted to be obedient to God’s word.

As Baptists, we believe the Bible is the only authority for our faith and our practice. “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is what life is all about,” (Eccl. 12:13). In the Book of Malachi the Israelites had returned from captivity in Babylon. They had completed building a temple for worship; now they were committing all kinds of sins against God, one sin was not tithing. The reason for their captivity in the first place was their sin and disobedience to God and not following His Commandments. In Malachi 3:8, it says “You people are robbing me, your God. And, here you are asking, “’How are we robbing you?”’

“You are robbing me of the offerings and the ten percent that belongs to me. That is why your whole nation is under a curse.” In the Book of Jonah, 3:10, in our Sunday school study several weeks ago, we see that it pleases God when we respond obediently to His word. In Jonah 4:5-11, we can determine that God’s harsh judgement is reserved for those who persist in rebellion.

Over the years, I see my 2nd/3rd graders in Sunday school, squeezing a dollar & not wanting to put it in the Sunday School collection because they have other plans. I tell them what my father told me, but, I explain it to them. And, they become so willing to give. They even tell another hesitant child why they should surrender that dollar.

The bottom line is that God commands us to tithe. All of our possessions belong to God because it is made possible only by God and God commands that we give back to Him 10%. So, please take a yellow pledge card from back of the pew and pledge to give AND do give back to God what is God’s.

May God continue to bless you.

christine b. clark 
Chairman Emerita, Board of Trustees and Deaconess Emerita

A Message on Stewardship

Good Morning Pastor Smith, Pulpit Associates, Shiloh Family and Friends. We often sing with the choir Count Your Blessings. See what God has done. Have you really taken the time to count your blessings? I am sure you would start with life, shelter, employment, food, family, friends, church just to name a few. But after witnessing the outstanding performance of our Senior Choir and guest Artists on last Sunday as they presented Handel’s Messiah we must recognize the blessing of talent. Our technicians were in excellent control. Note the ability to perform with excellence right here in our own sanctuary. Question is How do we show our gratitude?

Do we follow scripture advising us to be good stewards, managers, and servants? Or do we just say thank you Lord and keep on going? A good steward gives back to God a tenth of our earnings, additional offerings, and dedicated service when and wherever needed. A good steward takes care of all obligations. Let me remind you of the outstanding debt on our beautiful sanctuary that we enjoy in comfort on Sunday mornings. So as we move forward be reminded of our Debt Reduction Campaign; Tithes and Missions to secure our operations and services to others. Debt Reduction to secure our space. Think about it. Are you a really good Steward? Can you answer yes, yes, yes?

Merry Christmas and God bless you! To God Be the Glory. Amen

deaconess reather j. felton 

Tithe Testimony and Journey as a Tither Deuteronomy 12:6

Good morning Shiloh. (Pause) Today is Prove the Tithe Sunday.

And Deuteronomy 12:6 says “There, bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.”

Shiloh, I understand what that scripture means, but my spiritual journey has not always been easy when faced with financial challenges as a single Christian. Although my foundation was religious and I was taught the significance of tithing, freewill offerings, and special gifts, I did not start to tithe until the age of 25. Afterward, and through God’s grace, I saw my career and life succeed. Indeed, my faith was a process as I took Crown Financial Bible Study to increase my faith and wisdom.

During this time of spiritual growth, I experienced periods of transitions with employment as I never gave a company 10 years because the jobs ended through no fault of my own, nor was it due to lack of performance on contracts through various government agencies. Even though there are plentiful jobs, God’s purpose and plan showed me another life. Most people know that during times of recession, there is a feast or famine. Therefore, the word of God had to be spoken over my life. I did not know that God would take me through the red sea to know what hard times are like, as well as believe I am coming out, but that did not deter me for I gave my time, talents, and treasure to the Kingdom and my community.

Certainly, God will never put a good work in me and not see me through with faith and confidence to make decisions for my future. Through all the issues of life, I paid off a five year car loan in December 2015, and saw that God still provided another means of finances to know my FICO score was slightly over 800 with increased student loans after being blessed with two Master’s degrees.

I stand boldly before you this morning believing and knowing that God’s goodness and mercy has followed me twenty years later and will continue all the days of my life providing me with employment from the east, the west, the north and the south because His word says so.

I encourage you who are non-tithers, to prove your faith and obedience to God on this day, “Prove the Tithe Sunday,” knowing that God will bless you abundantly according to His riches in Glory. If you have not already completed a Prove the Tithe Pledge card, please take one from your pew, complete it, and return it to a member of the Deacon Ministry Leadership Team.

May God Richly Bless you and yours.

Davina Wiggins
May 15, 2016

deacon robert gunn 
One of my favorite passages of scripture is recorded in Proverbs 3: 5-6. [5] Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The way I understand that, is that if you trust and believe in God, you have no choice but to acknowledge Him in ALL your ways giving of you time, talents, and resources. All He asks for you to give 10% of your resources. The remaining 90% is yours.

Do not lean to your own understanding, No, I don’t understand, and I don’t think I ever will that by just giving 10% back to God and in turn I receive blessings that that 10% can’t even pay for.
I’ve been a consistent tither since the early 1990’s. But before then I understood the concept of tithing but I just had to go head first and trust God and do it. Since then I can’t ever seriously remember ever wanting for anything. God has and continued to supply all.

It’s been well over 10 years since I stood before you and gave a tithing testimony. That time I had been let go from a job but the Lord kept me going, not missing a beat, even when I had to tithe from an unemployment check for several months- the Lord kept me going. You know I can laugh at that now.
Since that job I was let go from was well over 10 plus years, God blessed me with a few other jobs in the meantime all the way up to Him directing my path to this position that I’ve had for the last 8 years. And I’ll state again, even though I was on unemployment and worked temporary jobs I STILL gave my 10% to Him. That 90% was plenty.

Sure, I hit some bumps every now and then but, at least I didn’t hit a wall. I stumbled a few times but didn’t fall. Utilities and other bills and were paid on time, mortgage was never late, and I never went hungry.

Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi wrote, as it is recorded in Philippians 4: 11-

Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.

I was content; I was so busy thanking God for his goodness to me that I didn’t have to ask him for anything. I was happy and content in realizing that God said I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee as recorded in Hebrews 13:5 but, I had to make sure my conscious was clear by being obedient and giving Him His 10%.

Sure the tangible blessings are nice but I’ve learned to appreciate the intangible blessings God gives as well. For instance, I’m a transplant from Illinois and have just a few biological family here but I have a loving and caring church family – right here, that’s a blessing. I have some talents given by God that people have called on me (if you’ve ever tasted my baking you know of one). And I’ve had type 2 diabetes for 27 years and have maintained good control without any complications.

I could go on but I’ll to back to Proverbs 3: 5-6

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Trust and acknowledge the Lord to the point that you will be obedient and give him your tithe. Don’t try to understand how he will bless you, just know that He will.

deacon roland hill 
Sunday, March 19, 2017

I have two mentors from the Old Testament that I would like to build my tithing testimony around. One is Abraham because of his obedience, and the other is Job because of his trust.

One of our members who gave a tithing testimony recently said tithing was a personal thing. I feel the same way. We all have a story we can tell about how God has blessed us. I am no different. God has brought me from a very long way. From a troubled youth – what they called it back then was a juvenile delinquent.

Back in 2011, I was diagnosed with having cancer. God delivered me from that. Just to name a few. I thank God for my two prayer warriors I had in my life – my mother, who never gave up on me, and my grandmother. They kept me prayed up. Back then I did not have enough sense to pray for myself. Well, I’m still not what I ought to be. You know the saying, but I am not what I use to be.

Some years ago our theme for the debt reduction was not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. I have always liked that theme. We can all give according to what God has blessed us with. Some more, some less. It has been said, to whom much is given, much is required. Whatever we give to God, God will bless us beyond what we give.

Luke 6:38 says “Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Second Corinthians 9:7 says “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Shiloh, I want you to know God is not “broke.” He does not need our money. I heard the preacher say that the cattle on a thousand hills belong to God. Jesus said my father is rich in houses and land. Church, we cannot beat God giving, no matter how we try. Obedience to His word, that is what God wants. Obedience is better than sacrifice; and putting your trust in God.

The Old Testament speaks more on tithing. The New Testament speaks more on giving. They go hand in hand. Different times, different ways of doing things. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the needs are not that different. The same God spoke in the Old Testament speaks in the New Testament. He is still asking us to give. Shiloh, God has not changed.

Obedience is better than sacrifice. You know the story about Abraham, how God promised him a son. God kept His promise. God blessed him with his son Isaac, the son that he loved. After a time, God called on Abraham regarding Isaac and Abraham was obedient to God’s call.

Genesis 22:1-2 says “Some time later God tested Abraham; he called to him ‘Abraham!’ And Abraham answered, ‘Yes, here I am!’ ‘Take your son,’ God said, ‘your only son, Isaac. Whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. There on a mountain that I will show you, offer him as a sacrifice to me.’”

Abraham took Isaac to Mount Moriah as the lord had told him. Scripture says because of his obedience, God blessed Abraham.

Genesis 22:15-18 says “The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time, I make a vow by my own name –the Lord is speaking—that I will richly bless you. Because you did this and did not keep back your only son from me, I promise that I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky or grains of sand along the seashore. Your descendants will conquer their enemies. All the nations will ask me to bless them as I have blessed your descendants—all because you obeyed my command.

Church, obedience is better than sacrifice.

Trust. I will trust in the Lord. If you trust and never doubt, He will slowly bring you out.

You know the story about Job. God gave Satan permission to have his way with Job, to do as he wanted, except take his life. Job was stricken by Satan with sores and boils all over his body. From the crown of his head, to the soles of his feet. Attackers came and stole his cattle, sheep and goats; killed his servant. A great storm came and his children were killed in the storm. Things got so bad his wife said to Job “Why don’t you curse God and die?” Job’s response was (Job13:15) “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

Because of that trust, scripture says God blessed (Job’s) latter years more than (his) beginning years. Job 42:12-17 says of Job’s life, “The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than he had blessed the first. Job owned fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, two thousand head of cattle… He was the father of seven sons and three daughters. There were no other women in the whole world as beautiful as Job’s daughters. Their father gave them a share of the inheritance along with their brothers. Job lived to a hundred and forty years after this, long enough to see grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

Those of you who are not tithers, if you put your trust in God and be obedient to His word and become tithers –just like God blessed Abraham and Job, he will surely bless you. So pray on it.

Malachi 3:10 says “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that [there shall] not [be room] enough [to receive it].”

Malachi 3:6 says “I’ am the Lord and I do not change.”

God will provide (for) all your needs according to his riches in Glory, if we are obedient to His word and trust in Him.

Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Because I have put my trust in God and been obedient to His word and became a tither, God has blessed me beyond my giving. Become a tither and see what will happen. What you give will come back to you.

It’s not our money God wants. It’s trusting God and being obedient to His word.

If you have not already filled out a Prove the Tithe Pledge Card, there should be some in the pews. Fill it out and give it to any member of the Deacons’ Leadership Team.

O Lord, we thank you for your steadfast love and mercy on us. Father, we believe that every word in the Bible was breathed out by you (2 Tim. 3:16), and we believe your promise that you will bless us when we are obedient to your word, and (we) put our trust in you as Abraham and Job did in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

deaconess keisha jackson
Mt. Sinai Circle My Stewardship Journey 
September 10, 2017

As I reflect on my stewardship journey, I understand that a steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care, and one day each of us will be called to give an account for how we have managed what the Master has given us. For as long as I can remember, my mother made sure I attended Sunday school as well as Church and my grandmother had me singing the Lord’s praises in the children’s choir and attending Sunday school at her church. My mother and grandmother would give me money to put in church. At that time, I did not know why I was putting money in the basket, but I was happy knowing that I was doing what everybody else was doing.

Deuteronomy 12:6 states bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

Like the servants in the Parable of the Talents, we will be called to give an account of how we administered everything God has given us, such as; our time, money, and talents. I learned very early in life that giving is not only an act of worship, but an act of obedience. I started to tithe very early in my Christian journey because of my relationship with God and the investment I have in my church.

Colossians 3:23-24, states whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord you are serving. My Christian journey started as a child as I begin to understand and except the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior.

At an early age, I also begin to give of my time as I realized my compassion to help people young and old which I would say is a call on my life, but one of my greatest attributes would be my gift to work with the youth. I love mentoring and exposing our youth to opportunities such as participating in both of President Obama’s Inaugurations , teaching them to use resources wisely, and providing an environment where they are allowed to strengthen their abilities which is achieved in Girl Scouts. As the current Program Leader and a Troop Leader of the Girl Scouts here at Shiloh, I am humble to bear witness to a young girl’s transition from a girl into a young adult. I do not take this call on my life lightly, for I know it is a privilege and honor to work with God’s children.

I believe in sowing seeds into our young girls because they are a part of our future. I sow seeds of prayer, confidence, courage, empowerment, respect for themselves, compassion for others, development of leadership and teamwork skills through specific activities, as well as the influence of positive adult role models.

Each one should use whatever gift they have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If you have not already fill out a Prove the Tithe Card, I encourage each of you to complete the Prove the Tithe pledge cards available in the pews and return them to a member of the Deacon Leadership Team.

Thank you and God Bless each of you.

shirley q. marshall 

Good morning Shiloh. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in today’s ‘Prove – the – Tithe Sunday’. Humbly, I stand before you to share my personal journey and testimony.

When first asked to do this, while I said yes, I had reservations about doing so. To tithe is indeed a personal choice. As a Christian tithing is expected. However, it is a choice that you must make for yourself, and only as a result of your knowledge of God’s Word, and after a personal conversation between you and our Lord and Savior.

There are many factors that may come into play as one makes the commitment to tithe. For most people, the availability of excess resources is usually high on the list of barriers to overcome before making a tithing commitment. This was certainly a factor for me. However, I am here to tell you there are greater forces than finances that influenced and guided me as I made the decision to become a tither.

Though I am not a long-time member of Shiloh, through family relations, I have a long history with Shiloh. I was born into a Christian home with both parents. My early years were influenced by Christian principles and experiences. I attended Catholic Church with my Dad and I attended Catholic schools. Frequently, I also attended services with my Mom, who was born into a Methodist family, but converted to the Baptist faith later in life. I guess you can say we believed in diversity.

With that as a backdrop, Shiloh did not become my home church until approximately three years ago. At that time, I was faced with making a decision about the sacrifices I would need to make in order to support my growing faith and my wonderful new church home. However, there were a number of life-experiences that fed into the choices I would soon make:

First, was the need to honor the spiritual foundation my parents had instilled upon me to be a responsible Christian, which included the need to nurture a sense of caring and sharing, and a desire to achieve happiness through giving rather than receiving. In my early years, my parents also taught me to put a nickel, dime, quarter, and if they had a good week, perhaps a dollar in the giving plate when it passed before me. This foundation made a commitment to tithe a ‘must do, and find a way to do it, with a smile’ decision for me, in spite of my share of challenges.

Secondly, prior to and in the midst of making the decision to join Shiloh, I was also faced with the evolving and traumatic health issues of my precious Mom and the God-selected love of my life, Ronald; which culminated with the ultimate loss of these two loving and kind people — all over a short period of time. The losses were emotionally devastating. The experience was indeed life changing. However, God was with me and kept me hold! I owe my all to Him!

Lastly, as I grieved, I too had to deal with personal health issues. I had to learn how to fill voids, like the physical absence of family; and, how to live only on my God-given resources. I learned quickly that as the Lord had directed the steps of my loved ones, and He was doing the same for me; He spoke to me during this trying time; His hand was on my shoulder; He answered my prayers, and He sent caring angels my way, many of whom are here in the sanctuary today. By asking for God’s help and making necessary sacrifices, today I am a tither and the mortgage and the bills are being paid. Each morning I wake up to a brand new day with new opportunities and challenges. How blessed I am! For these things, I am honor-bound.

For the young people who are here today, God is with you and can help you on your Christian journey and your road to future success. Simply call on Him as you follow His Word. In the ever-changing circumstances of life, there’s a faithful, never-changing God in control. Remember, every day begins and ends with His purpose, every moment of our life is in His care. I learned over the years that God works ‘24-7’ on our behalf. In return, we should indeed do our share as He requires, by committing a minimum of 10% of your resources to His Kingdom. Personally, I find tithing is a way to demonstrate discipline and obedience and thankfulness as a Christian and a believer.

For Shiloh members, I invite you to reflect on your awesome love for God and your devotion to this great historical institution… Shiloh Baptist Church. As we celebrate Black History Month, let’s work together to celebrate Shiloh’s longevity. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to consider making a commitment to tithe. Let us all honor the past scarifies of Shiloh’s founding men and women, and the members who came before us who demonstrated their commitment to stewardship so this Ship of Zion will live on. We stand and sit here today because of them. Let us also acknowledge that everything we have is a gift from God and lovingly do our share in return. Let us give out of love for the Lord and a desire to see His Kingdom advance. Always remember, our help comes from the Lord!

Thank you, and may God Bless you abundantly!

Shirley Q. Marshall
February 19, 2017