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Sister Betsy
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May 25  Sister Betsy

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Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under sompulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Cor. 9:7, NIV.

In February 1859 James White gladly announced the results of the committee that had been studying how to finance the work of the church. He presented a concept known as Systematic Benevolence, which would provide a way for every member to give regularly to sustain the church.

Quite convinced that the plan was from God, White emphasized 1Corinthians 16:2 to justify a weekly offering and texts such as 2Corinthians 9:5-7, which set forth the principles of reaping as we sow and the fact that God loves a cheerful giver.

White not only announced the new plan Systematic Benevolence, but he set forth guidelines.  Males 18-60 years should give from 5 to 25 cents weekly, while famales in the same age group should donate 2 through 10 cents, and both groups should add 1 through 5 cents more for every $100 worth of porperty they owned.

Following the example of 1Corinthians 16:2, the Systematic Benevolence funds were  collected on Sunday morning when treasurers visited each member's home with their offering containers and Systematic Benevolence record books in hand.

Such a process, as you might guess, did not meet with exuberant enthusiasm from all. Yet James White, two years later, put an encouraging face on the situation when he wrote that "all expect" the treasurer "and all get ready for him and meet him with open hands and benevolent feelings." "No one," he penned, "feels poorer, but all feel happier after casting their small sums into the treasury."

But what to do with the funds became an issue. White at first suggested that each congregation could dispose of them as it saw fit. Later he proposed that each church keep at least $5 on hand to assist visiting preachers and then send the rest to Michigan tent evangelism.

Systematic Benevolence, or what many later thought of as Sister Betsy, was a step forward, but it fell far short of the needs of the church. And beyond that, the Sabbatarians in 1859 still lacked any systematic way to utilize the funds or to pay ministers.

Most of us today are thankful that the church treasurer does not show up on our porch every Sunday morning with record book in hand. God has led us to a better way that is less intrusive and more adequate to fund His church.

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The knowledge of God is as high as heaven and as broad as the universe. There is nothing so ennobling and invigorating as a study of the great themes which concern our eternal life. Let the youth seek to grasp these God-given truths, and their minds will expand and grow strong in the effort. It will bring every student who is a doer of the word into a broader field of thought, and secure for him a wealth of knowledge that is imperishable(COL 42).
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