The Church has long taught that God’s way of life is the way of giving, not getting. You may have noticed that when the Living Church of God reports its operations, the statistics generally emphasize what we’ve been giving. While we keep a careful eye on our income and expenses, all of our literature is free and there are no follow-up requests for donations. Scripture instructs us, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). The Living Church of God operates on that principle, and God has always provided what we need.
That way of give is reflected in the number of Tomorrow’s World magazines we send out, as well as the number of requests for our booklets we grant. All totaled, in 2024 we sent out about 6,280,000 pieces of mail, which included 3,245,000 Tomorrow’s World magazines, 1,153,000 booklets, 158,000 Bible Study Course sets, and 95,000 CDs and DVDs, in addition to tens of thousands of other mailings. All of these items were provided free of charge. The world’s businesses are in the business of getting, but we like to say that God’s family business is the business of giving. Overall, we measure our profitability in how much we give, which is quite the opposite of how this world measures the success of its endeavors.
The Church has the commission to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God to the world and to feed the flock of God’s people, in addition to preaching individual and national repentance as a witness and a warning. But God has also given other instructions concerning good works, which we apply not only as individuals but as an organization.
Concerning charitable activities, our first priority is taking care of our brethren, as the Apostle Paul admonished his brethren in Galatia. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). Following this instruction, we have programs to meet the urgent needs of the brethren. “And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful” (Titus 3:14).
The first-century Church often did this, as Paul reminded the brethren in Corinth regarding aid to their brethren in need in Jerusalem:
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 16:1–3).
Paul emphasized that we are to engage in good works as a result of our faith in Christ, writing that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8–10). God’s family business is giving. So, while our priority is “the household of faith,” we also help others as we can.
Christ told us that our charitable deeds are not to be done as a show for the world:
Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly (Matthew 6:1–4).
This has been our policy in the Living Church of God. Yet while we do not “show off” our charity, we strive to be responsible and accountable. We undergo an independent audit every year, and we make our complete, audited financial statements available at LCG.org/about-us. And it is important that our brethren and co-workers can know what we are doing organizationally as good works and charitable activities, apart from preaching the Gospel and feeding the flock.
The Living Church of God has several categories of funds to accomplish good works—firstly among our members and secondly for others in need. Some categories of directed contributions are restricted by law to the specific purposes for which those funds were established, such as Disaster Relief, Festival Assistance, the Emergency Fund (for individual emergencies), and the Morgan Montgomery Fund, and it is appropriate that we report such activities to our readers from time to time.
Members in Need
We have often provided hurricane relief for members from the Disaster Relief Fund. Because of legal restrictions on 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations like the Living Church of God, we must be careful in how we help, and we must observe all laws and regulations governing such help. When we are aware of a pending natural disaster such as a hurricane, our Legal Affairs and Risk Management Department readies a specific procedure to empower our local leaders in the affected area to provide help to our members in urgent need. Later help can be provided on a case-by-case basis upon recommendation by the local ministry and review by Church Administration.
Every year, we provide financial assistance to Church members who are in need, especially those who are widows. This is done through funds that are restricted for a particular purpose through the Third Year Tithe Fund. We also provide Festival Assistance for many members to attend the Feast of Tabernacles—all these expenditures for individual members are made on the recommendation of each member’s pastor and reviewed by Church Administration in Charlotte. Similarly, assistance in other countries is reviewed and provided by the appropriate regional offices.
We have also provided support for our members outside the United States who have suffered from disasters or other sources of deprivation. For instance, we have provided assistance for typhoon victims in Indonesia and the Philippines, for victims of the Haitian earthquake and the Kenyan drought, and for our Cuban members suffering from severely limited food supplies.
Every year, the LCG international headquarters in Charlotte provides substantial support in the form of international grants for LCG offices in countries around the world. This is the largest category of assistance. From time to time, when they have the funds to do so, our offices in other countries—including Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Germany—assist generously as well. Assistance includes funds for keeping the Feast, youth camps, preaching the Gospel, literature fulfillment, support of the ministry, and helping brethren in need. U.S. government regulations require that an extensive process be completed by our Legal Affairs and Risk Management Department before funds can lawfully be sent out internationally.
The Morgan Montgomery Memorial Fund provides assistance for Church youth around the world to travel to our youth camps. This year, travel assistance to the youth camps will be provided for youth from Malawi, Zambia, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Indonesia.
Others in Need
Recently, the Living Church of God has been active in relief for Hurricane Helene, which caused extensive damage in areas from the Gulf Coast through western North Carolina. This was in addition to looking to the needs of our members in the affected areas. A substantial donation was made from our Disaster Relief Fund to a facility in North Carolina that provided needed services to first responders as well as food and housing for displaced local residents. We made a similar donation to a charity that provided food, temporary housing, medical cost assistance, and assistance to “boots on the ground” services in the mountain areas. We carefully vet any such organization to ensure the quality of services and the substantial use of our donation for those in need.
In 2023, we quietly offered assistance to Tomorrow’s World subscribers in a specific area that was affected by a tornado. Only a few needed our help, but they were certainly glad to receive it.
Religious faith is often under attack in our troubled times, and in today’s litigious environment it is wise to foresee legal danger and avoid it (Proverbs 22:3). There are respected national organizations that provide legal services and advice to help many religious denominations defend themselves against challenges to religious freedom. They frequently engage in successful litigation to protect religious rights. To help protect our members, we make contributions to a few of the best ones, knowing that we may need their services someday.
While a spirit of giving is important, diligence in controlling our finances is also important, especially since the financial health of the Church is essential to our being able to send grants and other aid to other countries. So, we are careful to plan our expenditures to work within income expectations. By doing so, we can be assured of being able to continue a wide range of support.
God’s Holy Spirit leads us to have love and outgoing concern for others, and our members’ good works are not limited to what we do organizationally. The Living Church of God encourages its members, as individuals, to strive to be good neighbors to those around them in addition to providing personal support to family and the local membership’s needs. God says that these works, both organizationally and individually, are pleasant sacrifices to Him (Ephesians 4:28; 5:2; 1 Peter 2:5).
Christ is teaching His Church a giving way of life. If we are well-trained in it, we will be able to rejoice in that way of life now and forever.