If you'll recall, Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, have pushed as one of the primary factors of staying right with God, the biblical requirement called tithing.

In the main, tithing is founded in the concept that everything we have was the result of a gift from God; therefore, we should give back at lt least 10% of it to the furthering of His work on earth.

Ministers, priests and rabbis take time at least once a year to remind their congregants that they need to be regular contributors, and that, while the church or synagogue will gladly take whatever amount the member chooses to give, in reality they expect you to tithe,

But here's the missing ingredient.  For whatever the reason, church officials, in the main, have never pushed the concept that members should first try to do business with each other before they employ the services of those outside of the church's membership.

Supporting those with the same beliefs as yours has enormous merit, starting with that it builds the value of your membership in the church.

Years ago, my church needed to raise a sizable amount fast.  Its big pipe organ had been seriously damaged by a Galveston hurricane.  So, I took on the task of being the head of the committee that would raise the money as well as find the organ designer and builder.

The hardest part was going to be raising the money.  While it had been in the past, the church was no longer one that had many wealthy members.

So I came up with an idea:  For every piece of real estate my company sells that involve a member of the church or member of his family, we will contribute 10% over and above my personal contributions, to the church's organ fund. 

By example, we got the other business owners and the insurance salesmen, car salesmen, doctors, etc., to agree to follow suit.

We raised the money in record time, and we even had sufficient funds left over to add an exciting rank of pipes known as trumpets en chamade (which I may have misspelled here).

The excitement this campaign brought to the church was electrifying, and the attendence reached dramatic new records.

Nevertheless, as soon as the organ was built and installed, the parish saw no reason to encourage the continuance of special tithe campaigns.  Attendence went back to about where it had been and the church facilities resumed their aging and tired look because of lack of money.

Many churches find membership dropping, facilities wearing out, church member fellowship waining.  I submit that programs like the one we used to raise funds for our new church organ can go a long way toward reversing those trends.

And it's the perfect place for Realtors to make a difference and be in sync with the Lord.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS - HIGHLAND PARK

SINCE 1964

214 503-8563

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