TITHING | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 19, 1881

TITHING.

WE are surprised to learn that so large a number of S. D. Adventists in California pay no tithes to the churches, and through them to the State Conference. But we think we understand the reason.

Our old method, called "Systematic Benevolence," was dropped, and the tithing system adopted in its place. But the misfortune of California has been that it had no one to lead out and bring up this branch of the work. The remarks of Elder Haskell at the camp-meeting, which were both instructive and stirring, were well received, but for lack of labor in the churches, not much has been done to bring the Bible plan into use.

We were in hope that Elder Haskell would be able to visit most of the churches in this State before he had to return East, but he could not. Elder Corliss has gone to Los Angeles to join Elder Healey in tent labor in that city. And thus he is prevented visiting and laboring with the churches, as it seemed likely, at one time, that he would.

Under these circumstances, a duty seems to devolve upon the local elders to do more in this matter than they have done in the past. Let them pray over it until they deeply feel over it, and then talk it to the churches. Not only the welfare of the cause in this State, but the health and prosperity of the churches themselves require it. "To give is to live," and to withhold is to die—or seriously to decline.