RECONNECT CHRISTMAS

About

What happened to Christmas?

It’s supposed to be a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior and Lord, the dawning of redemption, the good news of great joy to the entire world! But what do we experience? The overload of stress, the anxiety of buying the right gifts for one another when we already have so much stuff, more consumer debt to pay off, and the gnawing sense that we’re not so much giving and receiving gifts as we are giving in to the pressure of “Christ-mess.” Worst of all is that somehow in the midst of the celebration we feel like we may have missed the whole point.

Jesus himself was pretty clear about what his arrival meant for the world: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19) There isn’t a word in there about sales or online specials, right?

We started thinking about how we might reconnect with what God had in mind all along in the birth of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. How could we worship Jesus Christ through the gift of compassion rather than the frenzy of consumption?

The plan we came up with helps connect our faith with our practices in a way that honors Christ during a season in which our culture isn’t quite sure what to make of Jesus. Here’s the simple plan:

• Calculate what you are planning to spend for gifts this Christmas.
• Hold 25% – 50% of that for a special offering to do something specific and tangible in Jesus’ name along with the rest of the WSC family.
• Bring it in on the designated Sunday (cash or check, no pledges)

The result in 2008 on a goal of $80,000 was an offering of about $148,000. The Community Center in Kigoma is nearing completion, and has already been host to conferences and other community gatherings.

In 2009, we raised over $110,000 on a goal of $100,000 for the construction of a school for the children of rural villages in the Mahbubnagar District of Andhra Pradesh.

This year Reconnect Christmas is much closer to home.

Throughout our nation’s economic recession we, as a congregation, have stretched, scrimped, gotten by, and, often, barely made it – but we have been constant in pouring ourselves and our resources out for others. Well, the recession grinds along. And the impact on individuals and families of our congregation grinds along, too. The Bible reminds us that one of the cardinal indicators of our faith is to “love one another.” We’re also warned not to let our care for each other come in the currency of best wishes and good intentions, but in real, practical help. There are jobs lost, mortgages in arrears, skyrocketing COBRA payments, out-of-pocket medical expenses, property taxes, utilities, groceries and gasoline. These all belong to our congregation, too.

The Missions Leadership Team, after much discussion, consideration and prayerful decision-making, has designated our Reconnect Christmas project to benefit the Wheatland Salem Care Fund which is used completely and directly for the practical needs of our congregation’s members and friends. This is not part of the regular church “budget” and has been funded in the past by special gifts from individuals and families. The Reconnect Christmas gift will be placed in the Care Fund and administered through the next year under the leadership of Pastor Carol Griffith along with Pastor Scott and Pastor Bob. Funds will be disbursed according to Care Fund guidelines and with accountability to the Church Board. The names of specific recipients and situations will, as always, remain anonymous in their particulars, but we anticipate that as we share these resources together we will also share in general the positive impact in the lives of our sisters and brothers right here.

This is a practical exercise in Christian community that allows for children, youth, and adults to redirect a sacrificial portion of their allowances, earnings, and “Christmas budget” for the care of sisters and brothers with whom we worship, pray, and serve week by week.

Plan to bring you Reconnect Christmas offering on Sunday, December 19th.
Our goal is $50,000