Bishop calls giving sign of ‘spiritual maturity’
OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS)—The economic crisis “is a wake-up call for the church,” Bishop Robert Hayes said during a recent session of the Oklahoma Annual Conference. “We need to be honest and name the fact that The United Methodist Church ranks near the bottom of all mainline denominations when it comes to giving. United Methodists give less than 2 percent of their incomes to charity,” Hayes said during the May 24-28 meeting. “The message has to go out that giving is a sign of spiritual maturity.”