Tithes by Bank Transfer: A Montego Bay Church Defends Its Lockdown Advert as Another Asks for “19” Seed Offerings

• Calvary Baptist placed a newspaper notice giving its bank details for tithes
• The pastor said it was aimed at members, not the public
• Church funds cover nine welfare areas, including medical and funeral help
• Another church asked for seed offerings of US$19 to JA$19,000

When COVID-19 closed church doors in March 2020, Calvary Baptist Church in Montego Bay turned to the newspaper to keep giving going, and faced criticism for it. The Jamaica Observer reported that the church placed a notice in the Western Mirror telling worshippers how to send their tithes and offerings to its bank account.

The Rev Everton Jackson explained how the decision came about. “Our church council had a conversation via WhatsApp. They [members] took the decision that we would not gather at the church but instead live stream our worship,” he said. “That notice spoke to worshippers, meaning worshippers at Calvary. We do not solicit financial aid from the public.”

He said the money supports members in need. “In the budget there are nine items that speak to social welfare services, educational assistance, medical assistance, funeral assistance, compassionate grant, among other things,” he said. The first draft of the advert would have cost more than $40,000, so the church cut it down to the basic payment details. The church was also filling prescriptions and buying groceries for elderly members.

The Observer contrasted this with another congregation, Greater Works International Fellowship, which asked members for sacrificial offerings in the “19 range”, meaning US$19, US$190, JA$1,900 or JA$19,000, described as “God’s prescription to neutralise the COVID-19 virus”. Its communications director declined to engage in detail with the newspaper.

The two approaches show the difference between giving that sustains a church’s care for its members and giving sold as a spiritual cure. When the pandemic hit, many Jamaican households lost income while rent, mortgage and utility bills kept coming. Churches that were clear about what the money was for, and that used it to help members through hardship, kept the trust of people who could least afford to lose it.

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