Operation Christmas Child and Angel Tree Continue Despite Pandemic

From Carol Bashore, Missions Committee Chair

Our Missions Committee thanks you and continues to ask for your help. Mission contributions have been generous, enabling us to continue helping others during this pandemic.

Money continues going to the Clean Water Project, plus we have generously given to UMCOR in response to hurricanes, floods, and fires.

We’ve also sent financial assistance to nine local charity organizations, one national, and one overseas. A list of all the organizations that our church supported will be posted at the end of 2020.

We’ve had several faithful helpers move out of state. Therefore, we need more volunteers to help with either serving lunch at New Journey once a month or dinner at Opportunity House once every other month. No cooking involved. It’s easy and gratifying. Please contact Dave Kercher if you can join us.

We plan to continue with our traditional Samaritan Shoe Box program as well as the Salvation Army Angel Tree gifts.

For Operation Christmas Child, any shoebox or similar sized box is fine. However, official boxes and purchasing information is available at the Church Office now.

If you’d like to participate but don’t feel comfortable shopping, you can send a check to help with postage or to allow someone who is shopping to fill a box for you.

Boxes can be dropped off at the Church Office through November 22. I will put a big plastic container on the porch for people to use if the office is closed; I’ll move boxes inside daily so that they are safe.

Angel Tree gifting will be more difficult without physically coming to church, yet we don’t want to disappoint two families in need.

Therefore, if we’re not open, we’ll post the list of first names, ID#s, and needs in an email. After reviewing the items, you may choose your gifts from home. To prevent duplicate purchases, you’ll need to contact Diane Fisher, as soon after choosing as possible to tell her what item(s) you’re buying. She’ll then remove that item from the list.

However, if the church IS open, there will be no online list of gifts in an email. You’ll choose gift tags from the Christmas tree as we have in the past. If you want to participate but are still worshiping from home, please contact any Missions Committee member, and we’ll give you gift information over the phone.

You can then drop off your gifts at the church or Church Office. (If locked, please leave items in a rain-protected plastic bag on the office porch.)

The gift list is not yet available, but the return date for wrapped and tagged gifts is December 6. That’s sooner than you think!  Thank you for participating.