23 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Guelph, Ontario

The Searching for a King musical at Parkwood Gardens Church (click to enlarge)

Scenes from "Searching for a King" (click to enlarge)

The “Searching for a King” musical at Parkwood Gardens Church (click to enlarge).

Brian Magnus (right), pastor, Parkwood Gardens Church (Guelph, Ontario)

Parkwood Gardens Church loves the Christmas season!

Many years ago we helped form the Parkwood Gardens Neighbourhood Association here on the west side of Guelph, Ontario. Today we partner with it to offer weekly community programs at the church. This year, with the PGNG, we also collected new and gently used coats, then later scarves and mittens for the children of the neighbourhood.

We were also the Guelph collection centre for Operation Christmas Child, and saw 2500 shoeboxes pass through our doors.

For the eleventh straight year we performed a Christmas musical under the direction of Elizabeth Kramer. This year’s performance is being held on three nights and will attract over 800 people. The 50-voice choir is doing a musical entitled, “Searching for a King,” which contrasts the journey of the Magi with the journey of a Canadian soldier coming home from Afghanistan, each searching for King Jesus.

On Christmas Day we’ll drop to offering just one Sunday service, including a giant “Happy Birthday, Jesus” party for the children.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

23 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Findlay, Ohio

Darwin Dunten (right), pastor, Findlay First UB (Findlay, Ohio)

Findlay First UB just completed its 5th annual Happy Birthday Jesus party with over 60 in attendance. (Most of whom do not attend church anywhere.) The program started with games, the Christmas story, food, crafts, and a gift bag.

The youth ministry at Findlay First UB has seen tremendous growth this year mainly because of two reasons.

1. A strong prayer emphasis by the adults on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening.
2. More adults are helping transport, feed, and minister to the children.

Above is a video of the Happy Birthday Jesus Party we posted on Youtube.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

22 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Kunkle, Ohio

Scenes from Kunkle UB's Christmas event at the community firehouse.

Ron Evans (right), pastor, Kunkle UB Church (Kunkle, Ohio)

A community Christmas was held at the local firehouse with more then 80 people in attendance. This event involved lighting a large evergreen tree that stands on the main intersection in the village. Ed Sutton, a contractor based in the village, provided the lift used to place strings of lights donated by the community on the tree. Kunkle Carryout was the collection point for community-donated toys and money for the event.

The event started out with the lighting of the tree. As the people gathered around the tree, a prayer of dedication was given and the lights turned on. Then we moved into the firehouse for finger foods. After that, Emma Evans played her accordion and we sang several Chrismas carols together. On the last carol, two boys from our youth group, along with their band director at North Central school in Pioneer, joined us with their trumpets.

After the singing, the Kunkle Youth group portrayed the Christmas story as it was read. Then, time for what the kids had all been wating for: Santa. When Santa walked in, one little girl pointed in his direction and another cried out, “It is Santa!” The kids were given the opportunity to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. After that, they were able to pick a toy from the pile at Santa’s side. When all the little kids were done, some of the big kids got into the act as well.

One little boy told Santa that one of the toys he had bought early had broken already. He asked Santa if it was okay to exchange it for a new one. Santa told him that it was okay and he would have a talk with his elves about quality control. This put a smile on the little boy’s face.

This event was a success, as many in the community joined in. The Chrismas message of Christ was delivered, and we had several tell us that they wanted to more involved next year.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

22 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Junction City, Ohio

Joe Leighton (right), pastor, Salem Chapel (Junction City, Ohio)

We have an outreach ministry to teens and children in our area. About 30-40 attend on a weekly basis. At Christmas we have a Sunday night program with fellowship for these kids’ parents, and this year we had a typical crowd of about 130 (our sanctuary holds about 93). We also join the other churches in our township to provide food baskets to about 100 families in our vicinity.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

21 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Columbia City, Ind.

L-r: Fred Scroggs, Santa Jerry Ramsey, and Eagle Quest's pastor, Tim Scroggs.

Christine Scroggs, Eagle Quest Church, Columbia City, Ind.

Eagle Quest Church (Columbia City, Ind.) helped 396 people during the December 17-18 weekend. On Saturday, Dec. 17, members joined the Salvation Army of Whitley County in inviting over 250 families to join them in a meal to celebrate the Christmas season. This celebration was the climax of a very successful food drive called “Feed the Need,” which worked in conjunction with the Salvation Army’s well-known “Toys for Tots” program.

Feed the Need was started to help insure that families who needed help with their groceries would receive enough food to make a Christmas dinner, and hopefully dinners for a few extra days. This year’s program raised enough funds to receive a matching grant, generously donated by the Whitley County Community Foundation. The grant and monies given by the community enabled Eagle Quest to provide 250 food vouchers redeemable at Kroger’s for $25 each!

Here’s how the program worked. As each family received their toys at the giveaway, they also received their voucher and an invitation to the meal at the church. Once they arrived at Eagle Quest, they were greeted by Santa and fed a meal consisting of hot dogs, sloppy joes, baked beans, chips, cookies, and drink.

There was a table with free hats, mittens, scarves, and coats for anyone who wished. The guests were also eligible for a drawing that included gift certificates donated by many local businesses and individuals. As they left the dinner, each family also received a bag with groceries with a variety of foods which included meat, potatoes, and eggs. Community Action of Northeast Indiana was also available at the party to give information about the help they provide.

It was a complete blessing to be able to help so many, and the look of joy and appreciation on the faces of those involved was not lost on any of the workers. Eagle Quest Church was honored to be able to work with the Salvation Army and provide meals to so many people in Whitley County. We are already looking ahead and planning “Feed the Need” 2012!

What has your church done during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything? Tell us about it. You can use this form or send an email.

21 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Saginaw, Mich.

Ted Doolittle (right), pastor, Calvary Community Church (Saginaw, Mich.)

During our December 18 services (9:30 and 11:00), we had a drama called “The Innkeeper’s Dilemma.” It was a humorous account of the innkeeper’s inner struggle as he came to understand that the “baby in the barn in Bethlehem” was none other than God in the flesh.

This realization came through encounters with a patron (Perry Reeves), a shepherd (Jeff Klinert), and a wiseman (Adam Hickmott). I played the part of the innkeeper.

During the second service, a group of preteens and teens did a blacklight presentation of Chris Tomlin’s version of “Joy to the World,” directed by Linda Doolittle, Nichole Knoellinger, and Kaylin Reeves. It was a moving presentation. The youth used white gloves under blacklights to do sign language and construct images such as large hearts, moving water, and a cross. The total attendance was 186.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

21 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Baltimore, Md.

John Christophel (right), pastor, Brooklyn Park UB Church (Baltimore, Md.)

The Brooklyn Park Church has been helping needy families in our community with Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets for many years. Over the past 14 years we have also been gathering gifts of toys and clothing for children in need.

This year the need was great. We were able to provide food baskets to four families at Thanksgiving and six families this Christmas. What helped make this a success was that we joined with our local community association to establish a community food pantry in our church. We are getting great support from the community and local businesses.

Our greatest joy has always been in being able to bring Christmas cheer to the needy children. With the help of many, we were able to give 7-9 gifts of toys and clothing to 20 children from seven different families.

This year two of the families we helped were evicted right before the holidays. The seven children were scattered out to live with other family members and friends. Another family we helped only had a queen-size mattress on the floor and a small TV. A local funeral home bought the children new beds. We are collecting other furniture as well.

We praise God for how he brought many people together to make this a special Christmas. Some of the families attend our church, but a few are new contacts.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.

20 Dec Christmas at Our Church: Berea, Ohio

http://youtu.be/W-eUw-dqvYI

Andy Sikorra (right), pastor of Renew Communities (Berea, Ohio)

We are currently do two projects throughout the Christmas season.

First, we are working to plant a church in Haiti in partnership with Haiti Bible Mission. The overall need for funds is $17,000, but we set a goal for this Christmas of $6,000 from our people.

The other project is a local project called Renewing Christmas, where we’re working to collect 1000 new or gently used coats, 1000 hats, and 1000 pairs of gloves for our neighbors who need them most. Many local organizations are partnering with us in this project.

Recently, our Renewing Christmas project was featured in both the local paper and on Fox 8 Cleveland (the above Youtube clip). We wanted to share these things with you.

Tell us something special your church did during the Christmas season–events, programs, ministries, anything. You can use this form or send an email.