When a 55-year-old contractor from West Virginia won the biggest undivided lottery prize in history on Christmas Day, he first thought about helping his church. "I just want to thank God for letting me pick the right numbers ..."
Andrew "Jack" Whittaker Jr. attended services Sunday at the Church of God’s Tabernacle of Praise in Hurricane, West Virginia. On that day he gave Senior Pastor C. T. Mathews a check for $334,000 as the first installment on the church’s share: the traditional 10% "tithe" of Whittaker’s $170 million winnings.
Also sharing in Whittaker’s tithe will be Bishop Cecil Welch who leads a parish in Hinton, West Virginia (near the place where Whittaker grew up) and Gerald Abreu, pastor for 12 years in Hinton but now living in Torance, California. It will be up to the clergymen to decide how they use the money, said Whittaker.
He is president of three construction companies that build sewage plants and other water projects. Whittaker plans to expand his businesses, give money to his family, and perhaps buy a helicopter. His wife, Jewell, said she plans to go to Israel because " ... it’s where Jesus walked."
Powerball is the nation’s largest lottery game, and tickets are sold in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands. The record $314.9 million award went to Whittaker alone, but he chose to take a one-time payment of $170 million instead of the full amount over 30 years. He will receive $113.4 million and will tithe the full amount.