According to a US Naval Academy press release, the chapel communities at Annapolis donated $270,000 to charities in 2015.

Twice per year, in January and July, the United States Naval Academy (USNA) Chaplains Office spends down the religious offering fund to under $5,000 in order to ensure that the contributions are being spent in accordance with the wishes of the congregations.

“The donors give these funds as an expression of their faith and their desire to share with others and to help others who are in need,” said Capt. Michael Gore, senior chaplain.

Tithing/offering is a fundamental Christian exercise, and some military members choose to contribute to the military chapel they attend, even if the chapel doesn’t need to pay for a building or a pastor’s salary. Instead, the funds go to support ministries of the chapel or outside charities.

In that regard, it is notable that a group of military atheists, assisted by the MRFF’s Chris Rodda, once demanded “equal access” to the local chapel funds their Christian peers had. Those demands (which were denied) occurred during a zenith of anti-Christian activism in the military, and the short-lived atheist group is now defunct.

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