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“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40
We’re coming up on the holiday season very quickly! Last year when our missionaries, Anthony and Soyoung Sellari spoke in December about their work in Egypt, I was fascinated to hear how their church celebrated Christmas. It sounded very different from our American celebrations.
Egyptian Christians do many of the things we do – they eat special meals, favorite dishes and desserts, put up decorations including lights and stars. Just imagine having camels and pyramids in the background!
But Anthony shared that there isn’t the same kind of emphasis on exchanging gifts like Americans do. Instead, they use this time to remember the less fortunate and help those in need. Churches and charities organize events and activities to distribute food and clothes to the poor and homeless. The spirit of generosity and kindness even crosses the boundaries of faith, with Christians and Moslems gathering for celebrations that mix both tradition and culture.
This is a good reminder for us to remember those less fortunate or in need. One way you can do that this year is through the Angel Tree and Toy Drive we are doing this Christmas season.
The Angel Tree program was started by the Salvation Army back in 1979 and has grown in ways they never imagined! The inspiration came from a greeting card in a Hallmark store that was imprinted with three angels. Lt. Colonel Charles White wrote: "We thought, we could put the names of kids on this and the size of their clothing, and it would go on an ‘Angel Tree.' We bought the cards and cut them apart, and the mall helped us type children's names on the angels and put them on the tree."
Each angel had the name of a child in need. Shoppers were invited to take an angel, purchase the items requested, and bring the gift to the mall. That first year, 472 children– "a number that's etched in my mind" – were blessed with new clothes, he said. Today, Angel Tree is everywhere – with The Salvation Army, of course, and in churches, clubs, schools, stores, corporate headquarters and other places too numerous to count.
If you would like to make a difference for someone this Christmas, we invite you to take part in our ANGEL TREE & TOY DRIVE. You can help spread joy and love this holiday season by adopting an angel from our angel tree or by donating new, unwrapped toys for children.
For the Angel Tree:
Take an “Angel Tag” from one of our trees at the back of church. Purchase gifts for individual children ages birth to 12. Gender, age, toy suggestions and clothing sizes are listed on each Angel tag. We suggest 2-3 toys per child. PLEASE DO NOT wrap gifts for children. Bring in your items for your angel unwrapped and placed in a bag with the tag attached to the outside of the bag by December 7th.
For the Toy Drive:
Bring a new and unwrapped toy for a child between the age of birth to 12 yrs old. Place a new unwrapped toy in the bins in the back of the church next to the Christmas trees by December 7th. The Salvation Army will come pick them up and deliver them for you, helping make someone’s Christmas a little brighter this year!
In Christ;
Pastor Dan
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Join us for worship and a delicious lunch following worship this Sunday in the Fellowship Hall.
- First Evangelical Church Council will meet following worship this Sunday.
- Join us for a special Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner following worship on November 23rd. Sign-up sheets are in the back of the church to let us know if you are coming (RSVP with the number of people). Please sign up if you can bring a dish to pass (not required to attend).
- Help spread joy and love this holiday season by adopting an angel from our angel tree or by donating new, unwrapped toys for children. Your generous contribution will bring smiles to many faces. See information above.
- We are looking for actors, speakers of all ages, to be in our Christmas Program titled “Voices of Christmas” held during worship on Sunday, December 21st. A sign-up by November 16th at the back of the church. Rehearsals on two prior Sundays after worship.
- The Church Choir will sing on December 14th, rehearsing on November 23rd & 30th.
- Christmas is coming! Join us for our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:00 pm on December 24th for an evening with a Christmas message, beautiful music, decorations and candles. Invite your family and friends to celebrate together with you.
