Churches are a pipeline for gift-giving throughout the year – and especially during the Christmas season.
University Baptist Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, pastored by Michael Cheuk, collected groceries to provide the food items necessary to prepare a Christmas meal for local families in need.
The bags of food will be distributed by a local nonprofit working closely with lower-income folks.
Christmas gifts for 50 families in the Plano Children’s Medical Clinic were provided by First Baptist Church of Plano, Texas, where Steve Vernon is serving as interim pastor.
Danny Chisholm, pastor of University Heights Baptist Church in Springfield, Missouri, wrote about the congregation’s commitment to address poverty in his city and state by engaging the issue of predatory lending.
During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, the church has been raising money to establish a means to loan money to folks in need through a local credit union, providing an alternative to borrowing through payday loan companies that charge excessive interest rates.
Ardmore Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, led by Don Gordon, conducted a churchwide initiative in early December to collect food for families in need.
From senior adults to preschoolers, members committed to donate various food items to be distributed by a local nonprofit organization that helps individuals and families in crisis.
Smoke Rise Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, pastored by Chris George, provided assistance to two local Christian co-ops that offer a variety of services (such as food, emergency funds, clothing, employment resources and more) to community members.
The congregation hosted an event during which members donated a significant amount of food items and 200 gift cards to purchase food. They packed 177 baskets of food that were taken to the co-ops for distribution throughout the holiday season.
Aiken, South Carolina’s First Baptist Church, where Fred Andrea is serving as pastor, raised funds through an annual bake sale to support the Cumbee Center, a local nonprofit providing temporary shelter, counseling and other forms of support to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
These are a handful of the numerous positive initiatives that goodwill people of faith are carrying out this holiday season to enhance their communities and advance the common good.
Share with EthicsDaily.com staff via email or Twitter what your congregation is doing to help those in need this holiday season.
Editor’s note: A previous news brief detailing churches addressing needs during the Christmas season is available here.
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