….I would give some of it to my church.

Lots of us say that, I think because we believe it will somehow please God and convince Him to rig the lottery in our favor.

Well, it looks like that may actually have worked.

Somebody won $80,000 in the Georgia lottery and decided to donate it all to a church that is need of some pretty expensive A/C repairs and they church has already cashed in the ticket. Which I think raises some interesting questions.

Now, I have no idea what this church’s stance is on gambling, but every church I’ve ever attended or worked at has taken a stance against gambling. Most pastors I’ve talked to also say they would never take lottery winnings if a church member offered them to the church.

So, my question for you is this: Is it ok for a church to accept gambling winnings as a donation?

And just to step things up a bit more: Is it ok for Christians who take a stand against gambling to accept state scholarships for college that are funded via the lottery?

Let us know what you think, and while you ponder these deep, deep questions, you can check out the story below.

Talk about tithing: Church gets $80K lottery ticket in collection plate

By Fran Jeffries
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Someone recently placed an $80,000 winning Georgia lottery ticket into the offering plate at a Columbus church.

The Cathedral of Prayer Inc. claimed the winning Georgia Lottery ticket worth $80,000. Gloria Rodgers, chief financial officer, said the winning ticket, Lemon Doubler Cashword, was dropped anonymously in the church offering plate.

Rodgers, speaking on behalf of the nonprofit, claimed the prize Aug. 26 at the Georgia Lottery’s Columbus District Office.

“It’s an excellent thing,” Rodgers said in a news release issued Monday by the Georgia Lottery. “People in the community have come by and put lottery winnings in the offering through the years.”

The $80,000 prize is by far the largest they’ve received.

“When we saw this, we didn’t know,” Rodgers added.

According to Rodgers, burglars stripped the air conditioning unit of its copper three weeks ago, leaving the edifice without cool air. The anonymous donation will go toward fixing the unit.

“Everybody is just thrilled,” she said. “We’re thankful.”

Jerrys Food Mart, 3874 Saint Marys Road in Columbus, sold the winning ticket.

Original story found here