Area churches make holiday season merry by giving

  • By Shelly Webb of The Holmes County Journal
  • December 3, 2009
  • 1035
                        
Every year at Christmastime, churches throughout the Holmes County region take the time and make the effort to give back to the community and help support others during the holidays. This year has been a particularly rough time for many in our area. With Ohio’s unemployment rate now above 10 percent, many families in several counties are feeling the crunch of fewer resources this holiday season. Every church in the county makes giving a top priority at Christmastime. Unfortunately, we can only highlight a few, but many congregations support various programs, like the community Share-A-Christmas project, which reaches hundreds throughout the county, bringing blessings and love into many homes. 2009 has been a difficult year for many local families and churches alike. When unemployment and financial burdens affect families it also affects churches. None the less, area congregations continue to give and support others at this time of year. For example, Millersburg United Methodist Church supports many ongoing ministry projects all year long. These include such projects as monthly item collections for the Love Center, as well as special offerings for the Millersburg Ministerial Association’s Compassion Fund. The church also works with Wooster United Methodist Church offering support for “Meals Together”, which takes place every fifth Thursday in Wooster at the Methodist church, giving those in need a full dinner. Despite all these ongoing projects, Pastor Tom Jones, and his congregation, has found ways to become involved in some additional programs in the area. “Our church will collect specific items for Share-A-Christmas,” he said. “This year it will be 300 bottles of pancake syrup. We recently hosted our third annual Thanksgiving Together meal on Nov. 21 for approximately 30-40 residents of area nursing homes, as well as others from the community. We took the time to also host the Millersburg Ministerial Association’s Community Thanksgiving Service on Sunday evening, Nov. 22 this year as well. The special offering that evening was designated for the ministerial’s Compassion Fund. Most years we have a group that goes caroling to a nursing home in the area, which is also a way to give to others. And, of course, our Christmas Eve offering is directed to be given to a specific community need each year. These are just some of the ways the folks of Millersburg UMC seek to share God’s grace and love in tangible ways this season.” Dave D’Angelo, of NewPointe Community Church, which has campuses in Millersburg, Dover and Louisville, said NewPointe took part in the Samaritan’s Purse program, which is organized through Franklin Graham’s ministry. The program, known as Operation Christmas Child, collects shoeboxes from churches and communities that have been filled with small gifts. The shoeboxes are then shipped to various regions of the world where children are in grave need. “This is a smaller outreach effort in terms of dollars required,” D’Angelo explained. “For about $20 families can fill up a shoebox with gifts and other needed items for a child and we send it to the children in time for Christmas.” NewPointe is involved in another giving project for December but this one runs after the Christmas season is over. “Also in December we are running our annual adoption program where families and small groups adopt a child or family in need and support them, not just for Christmas but throughout the entire year,” D’Angelo said. “This project is a big effort and it helps everyone to see Christmas giving as more than just a December habit. Needs are present all year long so help and giving should be offered more often than just in December.” The First Baptist Church of Berlin also participates and supports the community-wide Share-A-Christmas project. The church enjoys doing whatever they can to help others during this season and all year long. “We support Share-A-Christmas,” said Pastor Tom Nye, of First Baptist of Berlin. “We know things are difficult, especially at Christmas, and we as a church try to make a difference in the community. It’s important for all the churches to work together at this time of year. When everyone gives a little, the result is usually very blessed and very successful.” The area Wooster Church of the Nazarene also participated in the Operation Christmas Child shoebox collection project. Last year the church collected 200 boxes and helped the community collect another 1,200. This year the church set a higher goal for both themselves and the community. “This year’s goal is 300 boxes for the church and 2,000 boxes throughout the community,” Pastor Cindi Nigh said. “Operation Christmas Child is an excellent way to touch a child with the message of Jesus. Each box includes a gospel message in their own language, along with discipleship lessons to help them grow in their faith.” It is impossible to know every good deed our local churches do at Christmastime and throughout the year. The Bible says God, who sees every good deed done in secret, will one day reward publicly those that gave. The local clergy and congregations are always involved in giving and helping. This area is fortunate to have them and is very grateful for every single one of them.


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