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Christmas Outreach 2021

2021-11-9 | Ronda Ooms

The year 2021 hasn’t gone the way we expected it to, but we are in the process of finding our “new normal” and celebrating Christmas is almost upon us! It’s hard to believe that it’s just over 6 weeks away! ECC has always stepped up to help those in need over the Christmas season. Things have not always been done the same way, but they have ALWAYS been done in the same spirit of love and community. A few years ago, we decided as a congregation to scale back the number of people that we help in order to make a more lasting impact. The past 4 years, we have focused on the families that are a part of our Afterschool JAM ministry. JAM, which stands for Jesus and Me, is our afterschool ministry for Miller School students. On December 4, we will be hosting the families. We will have lunch, decorate Christmas cookies, have a few fun activities for the kids, and a fun craft for the moms. We will need teams of people to help in various areas. Please watch the bulletin for what those needs are. Through our joint efforts, we can help make Christmas joy-filled for our families.


One of the favorite things we’ve done each year is to take family pictures. Each family will once again have the opportunity to get their family picture taken! It blesses my heart to see these family pictures displayed when I visit them in their homes! They mean so much to them! 


This year, we will once again give the parent a gift card to shop for their children themselves. This will be empowering for the parents as it allows them the opportunity to think about and select specific gifts that will be meaningful for each child.


Through our work with the families, we have come to know and respect them deeply for their effort to provide for their children and keep their households going. One family is currently homeless and working with Transitional Housing and Family Promise to secure housing. Several others have, in years past, struggled with being homeless. All have experienced significant financial concerns. A majority of our parents are single moms with 4 or more children. Raising a family on one income is extremely difficult. We all know how hard it is to be financially secure. These families are precious and we are honored to be able to walk alongside of the parents as they care for their family. 


Each year at this time, we raise funds to help with our outreach efforts. This year our goal is to raise $5,000 to use throughout the entire year to bless families in need. This amount is lower than in previous years. Because of COVID, we have some money left from our work last year. 😊 Some of the money will be used in December for Christmas but a majority of the money will be used to help families throughout the year. We ask that you pray about what God may desire for you to give. Please make this gift above your regular giving if at all possible. All monetary donations are recorded as part of your giving, just make a check out to ECC with Christmas Outreach in the memo portion. 


I would be happy to talk with anyone that has questions about our outreach ministry and the thought process behind why we do what we do. Feel free to contact me at 474-4842 or rooms@ecclife.net