See Nigeria Popular Pastor Who Rejected N500,0000 tithe From Church Member

T.B. Joshua, perhaps Nigeria’s most unconventional cleric,
posted a heart-warming story on his of
ficial FB page about
an elderly lady who came to his church with an unusual gift.
A retired teacher named Caroline Orugude had come to The
Synagogue, Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) in Lagos, Nigeria
to share a curious testimony.
After retiring from her job in June, 2012, Caroline was
forced to wait almost two years for the gratuity that she
was supposed to receive. “There was nothing much we
could do except pray because the pension system is so
unreliable,” she narrated to the congregation.
After visiting various churches for prayer without any visible
change, she was introduced to Emmanuel TV, the popular
Christian television station broadcasting the activities at The
SCOAN, and began praying along with T.B. Joshua.
Within two weeks, she received a call from the treasury,
asking her to go to Abuja to collect her pension money. “I
decided that when I got the money, I would come to The
SCOAN to appreciate the Lord,” she joyfully said. “I am here
with the small sum of 500,000 naira, to give to the man of
God and The SCOAN, as my tithe.”
It was an unexpected declaration but the response of Joshua
was equally surprising as he insisted he could not collect the
gift.
“Yes, it is written in the Bible that we should pay tithe but
how can we collect tithe from widows and the aged who are
supposed to be under our care,” he questioned the
congregation.
“Remember, she has stopped working. She needs our care
for the rest of her life. These are the women we should be
feeding and taking care of. She is our mother; she is my
mother too.”
The cleric, who is well known for his philanthropic gestures,
then announced that instead of taking Mrs. Orugude’s tithe,
he would support her with an additional 500,000 naira.
“When God calls a man or woman, what they will eat, what
they will use and everything they need for their journey will
be provided abundantly by God,” T.B. Joshua then
explained, noting the attributes of genuine ministers of God.
“When a minister begins to depend on tithes, you know he is
not a minister of God,” he added. “This is a message to
ministers of God all over the world. When we collect tithes,
we should know those whom we collect them from. Don’t
force anybody – it is between them and God. Let us worship
the Giver of money, not money,” he concluded.
The post on Joshua’s Facebook page, followed by 1.5 million
people, ended with a poignant question. “Where are your
elderly? Care for them and you shall reach old age.”
A video recently surfaced of Joshua refusing a $1,000
offering from a Swiss lady who received healing during his
crusade in Colombia. Several weeks ago, he spoke scathingly
of 'money-hungry' pastors, insisting that ministers of God
should not force members to give offerings or tithes as it
was a thing of the heart.