“Tithing is One Tenth of Our Increase”

Preparation

Personal Note: I have always practiced the law of tithing according to the below quote by Bruce R. McConkie, but I do understand that the interpretation of the word “increase” is varied, so please adjust the following activity to how your family practices the law of tithing. (The items in the activity can be copied and pasted into a word document to make any changes needed.)

Print the all the items for the Job Board Activity, using colored card stock for the cards. Print one of the example tithing slips for each family member.

To make the Help Wanted Job Board, butt together the 11 inch sides of two 8 ½ X 11 pieces of color card stock. Put a long piece of tape down the middle so they are connected. This will be the back side of the board. Turn the board over. Cut out the Job Board Help Wanted title. Glue it to the very top and middle of the two joined card stocks.

Cut out the pocket pattern. Trace and cut out 8 paper pockets using the pattern as a guide. Place them evenly spaced onto the front of the Job Board. Glue or tape down the sides and bottom edges of each pocket.

Cut out the job titles and the job cards.  Glue each job title to the very top of the backside of the matching job card. You should be able to see the job name when it is in the pocket.  Put the job cards into the pockets on the Help Wanted board with the job title facing outward.

Cut out the bonus cards and the Bonus tags.  Glue the Bonus tags to the center of the backside of each bonus card.

Cut out the tithing slips and the paper dice. Use sticky back Velcro, or double sided tape, to hold the tabs of the folded dice in place so that it can be taken apart for storage.

Items needed: Papers and pencils, and a real tithing slip and envelope to show to the family.

Discussion:

Read D&C 119:3-4   According to this scripture how much should we pay for tithing? Tithing is one tenth of our interest, which means one tenth of our increase. One-tenth is one out of every ten.

“Salaries, wages, gifts, bequests, inheritances, the increase in flocks, herds and crops (money increase earned from investments), and all income of whatever nature are subject to the law of tithing.”  Bruce R. McConkie – Mormon Doctrine

Activity Instructions

A family member chooses a job card from the Help Wanted board and reads the job description on the back.

They then roll the paper dice to see how many hours or days they do the work. They roll until the dice lands on a number square. If the dice lands on a Bonus square they get a bonus card. If it lands on Allowance they get to add whatever allowance amount your family uses to their money tally. They are only allowed one bonus or allowance per turn. (If your family doesn’t do allowance you could make that another bonus square)

Have them write down on a piece of paper all their money amounts – allowances, job money earned, and bonus money (small children may  need help).

Show the children how moving the decimal sign in a dollar figure, one position to the left, shows how much tithing should be paid. Let them figure out their tithing for each money item so they can practice this technique. Have them keep track of how much tithing is owed in a separate column.

After each person in the family has had the chance to choose one or two jobs, have them add up their tithing money column and figure out how much tithing is owed.

Show the family a real tithing slip and envelope. Explain that they can be found at the ward meetinghouse, usually near the bishop’s office. (On Sunday you may want to show the children where they are located.)

Help each family member fill out an example tithing slip.  Make sure they understand that tithing is not to be divided up and given in the other categories, or in any other way.  Tithing must always be given in the tithing category. You may want to briefly explain what the other spots are for.

Show the real tithing slip and envelope again and explain that the white slip is what they just filled out and that the printing would copy onto the yellow slip if they were together. Tell them they would put the white slip into the envelope with their money and the yellow would be their copy to keep.  The tithing envelope would then be given to the Bishop or one of his counselors.