According to WALB, Josephine King has been a member of Bainbridge’s First African Baptist Church for more than 50 years. She is the first person to be removed for not tithing.
Tithing is a donation, though some regard it as a tax, to a place of worship. Worshipers are expected to pay the church 1 percent of what they have as a tithe.
King was “sick and a shut in” for several months, which is why she didn’t attend church for a long period, her nephew, Gerald Simmons, told WALB. He said King has gone “above and beyond” for the church financially in the past.
The letter signed by Senior Pastor Derrick Mike said, “Josephine King is no longer considered a member of the First African Baptist Church of Bainbridge, Georgia.” The letter went on to explain she “has shown non-support” by not providing “constant and consistent financial and physical participation.”
“She was stunned. She was disappointed. She was shocked,” Simmons said.
“You shouldn’t chase the individuals down,” he said. “You shouldn’t do that. If that’s the case, you’re money hungry…. You have to have money to make these churches run, but it’s not about money. It’s about God. You have to put God first.”
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