THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507300167
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 116 lines
The Rev. Ronnie T. Northam Sr., pastor at Noble Street Baptist Church, is frank with his congregants about their financial obligations to the church.
When people want to join the 800-member congregation, he says he first tells them that his door is always open if they want to talk about problems in their lives. Then, he says, he talks to them about tithing - the practice of giving one-tenth of their annual income to the church.
He says he often quotes the Bible, Malachi 3:8, where the prophet talks about the blessings that will be showered upon those who bring the ``full tithe into the shorehouse.'' And, Northam says, ``If a person does not have enough faith that they believe they can tithe, then my question to them is, `What would you like to pledge?' ''
Apparently, the church at 100 Noble Street doesn't suffer lightly those who don't make their promised payments.
Last month, the church sent form letters to approximately 200 members who were at least two years behind in their payments, notifying them that the general membership had voted to delete them from the rolls. The letter, signed by Northam and the chairman of the deacon board, gave a phone number to call to respond.
``If there is no response from you by July 30, 1995, we will understand that you wish not to be a member of Noble Street Baptist Church,'' the letter said. ``If you have found another church home, we certainly want to wish you well.''
Northam, in an interview Friday, said the warning wasn't sent out of a need for money. Northam, the church's pastor since 1989, said, ``the church is in its best condition financially that we've ever been.''
But he and Delbert C. Smith, chairman of the deacon board, said the letters were a response to a change in the church's bylaws in April. For years, the church had not deleted members until they were five years behind in payments. In April, about 160 church members voted to shorten the time frame to two years, Northam said.
If members are deleted from the church rolls, they are still allowed worship at the church, but they can't vote at church meetings. If they want to have a wedding or funeral in the church, they must pay to rent it.
People who can't afford to pay what is owed get a clean slate by talking to a deacon about their financial problems, Northam said. ``Say, brother deacon, I can't meet my financial obligation and I want to be forgiven.''
Northam said Friday that he has had few complaints from those who received the form letter.
But one family, longstanding members of the church, say they aren't asking for forgiveness. Instead, they're looking for a new place to worship.
Kathy Chambliss, a 32-year-old secretary who has attended Noble Street for 16 years, says she was shocked by the letter's information that she owed $248.
Chambliss, who supports her two young sons on her secretary's salary, said she typically gives $2 or $3 at collection time during the Sunday service. Once or twice, she tithed - giving a $25 check.
A few Sundays, she admits, she didn't have enough money at week's end to donate to the church, but she didn't believe she was that far behind. She says she was in tears about the letter, but now plans to quit. ``It's like you have a credit card or something,'' she said. ``I'm so glad God is not that way.''
Chambliss' sister, Janet Hardy, said that her 20-year-old son, Antywan, also got a letter, a copy of which she supplied to The Virginian-Pilot. The letter said that he was 39 months behind and owed $41.94.
Hardy said that she, her husband and their three children have been regular churchgoers at Noble Street for at least a decade. She said she taught her three children a simple message about giving to the church: ``Give what you have.''
Recently, she said, Antywan didn't have much to give: He is recovering from a car accident, and working to pay his hospital bills. Antywan, who Hardy said has a job at Nauticus this summer, couldn't be reached for comment.
``All of a sudden, money is more important than people,'' Hardy said. ``I think greed has taken over.''
Both Hardy and Chambliss say they generally liked Northam's preaching, but they were were critical of his repeated emphasis on giving money, both in sermons and one-to-one conversations.
They said Northam has started asking all church members to provide their social security numbers for the church records, but they refused to do it. Hardy said Northam didn't give her a reason, but told her that if she is willing to give her social security number to her employer, she shouldn't balk at giving it to the church.
Northam said he requests church members' social security numbers in case the Internal Revenue Service calls to verify a church member's stated donation on their income tax returns. He said the IRS identifies people by their names and social security numbers, so the church needs to have them on file.
Other churches in the area - including mega-churches with several thousand members such as First Baptist Church of Norfolk and Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton - said they do not request social numbers from members.
``I've never heard of a church taking social security numbers,'' said the Rev. Donald Dunlap, of Freemason Street Baptist Church in Norfolk. ``I don't know why the church would need to know that.''
Northam said that Noble Street is generous in helping its members. He recalls covering $500 hospital bills and $300 for prescriptions to care for a member's child. Church officers frequently take needy people to the grocery story to buy food for them.
But, he said, the church relies on pledges and tithes from the congregation to carry out its activities. If church officers don't know how much money is coming in, he said, they can't plan the church's budget.
In order to properly worship God, Northam said, people must give of their time, their talents and their money. During a typical year, he said, he gives about four sermons entirely devoted to the subject of tithing. When it's time for the church offering, he said he simply ``reminds our folks what our Lord says to do.''
``In the New Testament, Jesus talked more about money than he talked about salvation,'' Northam said. ``What does that say to me? When you get to the point in your life where you can give to Him, then you are willing to follow Him.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
MARK MITCHELL/Staff
Antywan Hardy, left, got a letter saying he owed $41.94. His mother,
Janet Hardy, and aunt, Kathy Chambliss, are members.
by CNB