empowerment

One of the great things about the Christmas Store is that it empowered parents to choose gifts for their own children. To offer some payment for them. To put their own tags on the gifts and place them under their Christmas trees for their family.

Orchard Hill friends gave gifts, and parents received the gifts. Parents gave cash, and Orchard Hill volunteers received the payment. The value in that exchange goes far beyond the actual dollar amount of cash given. Because everyone was a participant, a stronger sense of dignity and community was experienced, and there was a sense of capacity-building and mutuality in the exchange.

Now, can the Christmas Store of the future work toward the next two levels of empowerment?

1. Could more friends from the community be serving as planners and volunteers at the Christmas Store and the Christmas Craft Fair? We talk of raising up indigenous leaders. About the community having the solutions to their problems. About this CCDA philosophy:

Go to the people
Live among them
Learn from them
Love them
Start with what they know
Build on what they have:
But of the best leaders, when their task is done
The people will remark "We have done it ourselves."

If this is to be a value for us, then the Christmas Store and Craft Fair will increasingly involve the community we served. That would be empowerment at a next level, and we need to work toward such development as we build relationships.

2. The other level of empowerment that I've been considering is to coach and empower other city partnerships to consider a similar type of Christmas Store model. I heard from a support worker at another school who loved the Christmas Store idea for their schools' families who are in need. What if other partners in education...churches, businesses, etc... would consider hosting a Christmas Store in their partner schools? That would be just one more level of empowerment and development across the broader community.

more Christmas Craft photos

Christian community

On Saturday, 235 volunteers dressed in red provided a great experience in the Walnut Neighborhood at the Christmas Store and the Christmas Craft Fair.

For me personally, very little of the day was about the material goods on the tables but rather all about the experience. The experience was relational in so many ways. At the Christmas Craft Fair, I watched people sitting down together at tables making crafts and visiting with one another. I watched people work together to accomplish the task of that particular craft. There was a buzz of conversation and laughter when I walked through mid-way into the event. Yesterday I attended church at Orchard Hill and at Harvest, and I listened to people at both churches talk about all the new people they had met.

At the Christmas Store, greeters welcomed folks, the hospitality room was full of cider, cookies, smiles, and love. Personal shopping assistants came alongside those shopping to help hold coats and toys and to help guide them through the process smoothly. Even through the cashier line and gift wrap, I watched people smiling and visiting with one another. And, before the exit, I watched several shoppers stop to pray with folks available at a prayer area. There were tears and hugs on more than one occasion when I looked around the gym.

What a beautiful picture of Christian community. The people of God bound together on a particular mission, shining light and drawing others in to be a part of such goodness. I had a friend volunteer at the Christmas Store who has been away from church and fellowship over the past year or more. Even after she just came together for the volunteer orientation meeting, she said, "When I was at church tonight, I felt so alive." Oh, how good it is when the Holy Spirit works through the Christian community of faith-filled, joy-filled friends!

I used to think Christian Community Development meant Christians developing the community (as in location). I think it really means that God wants to develop Christian community (as in relationships). When those reconciling relationships and friendships begin to happen, all sorts of transformation can begin to happen in the physical location of community.

in the news

The Christmas Store made the Cedar Valley Section of today's Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. You can read it by clicking here.

Christmas Store Celebrations

I praise you, God, for the blessings of yesterday's Christmas Store. Here's just a few-

1. The generous hearts of all those who donated gifts and/or money for the Store. In all, cash received was $5,727. A total estimated $45, 000 was spent to stock the store with gifts and toys.

2. The volunteers. Unbelievably great servant hearts. Warm, friendly, hard working, team players.

3. The Boys n' Girls Club for opening their doors to this idea. The space was great for the store, but even greater were Chuck and Nisha who worked alongside of us so enthusiastically.

4. Great minds and hearts worked together to organize this first-time effort.

5. CCDA (Christian Community Development Association). It is through this association that we got connected with FCS in Atlanta, GA, and Community 412 in Aurora, IL. These ministries spurred the idea and the foundation for the Christmas Store effort.

6. Tianne's opening prayer before the Store opened yesterday. Honestly, in the busy details of the morning, she led me like nothing else into the presence of God and helped me get rightly centered for the day.

7. The weather! The elements held off! I woke up to 37 degree wetness but no ice and snow! It began to snow right toward the end of the Store, but the hazardous temps and winds didn't kick up til much later.

8. The 223 families that shopped the Store. They were lovely. And it was so beautiful to see volunteers and shoppers interacting throughout the morning.

9. The shopping experience. Shoppers loved getting to choose for their children and they LOVED getting such a bargain! Don't you?! I love it when I find something really great and it's 80% off!

10. The Christmas Craft Fair next door with our partner, Harvest Vineyard. I only had a few minutes to go check it out, but it was such a great combination experience. Lots of love being felt as Orchard, Harvest, and community friends all sat down together to make handcrafted gifts for Christmas.

11. The post-Store blessings yet to be distributed. We have toys and gifts left. Of the 365 tickets actually given, 223 families came. We could have served another 100 families..especially families of young kiddos (we had a plethera of younger kids' toys vs. teen gifts). However, we are excited to be able to bless some schools or non-profits with the remaining gifts. And, I guesstimate that we took in about $4,000 yesterday. That too will be distributed in financial gifts to schools and the Boys n' Girls Club. Awesome!

classic Saturday (on Sunday)

John Wesley (1703-1791) is our featured devotional author this week. I got stuck on the opening bio. line for him. "John Wesley was one of nineteen children born to Samuel and Susanna..." How is that even possible...19 children! You may recognize Wesley as the "father of the Methodist tradition." While he was in college at Oxford University, he and a band of friends practiced a methodical approach to holiness, gaining them the name "Methodists". Though religion and piety were high values for Wesley, it wasn't until he was 35 years old when he deeply experienced the love of God for him and the Gospel became rooted in his heart. From then on, he embarked on an evangelism tour, ministering to the common folk throughout the countryside of England.

The excerpt below comes from his writing entitled Christian Perfection. It's not so much advice to Christians to be sinless as it is advice to nurture our desire to be wholly devoted in love with God. Pretty easy to tell from this passage if Wesley was an activist or a contemplative.

The Danger of Sins of Omission

"Sins of omission are avoiding to do good of any kind when we have the opportunity. We must beware of these sins and, instead, be zealous of good works. Do all the good you possibly can to the bodies and souls of your neighbors. Be active. Give no place to laziness. Be always busy, losing no shred of time. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.

Also be slow to speak. It is said, "In a multitude of words sin abounds." Try not to talk too much, or for a long period of time. Not many people can converse profitably beyond an hour's time. Especially avoid pious "chit-chat" or religious gossip."

I could use a little practice on the reduction of words from my days....anybody else?

Christmas Crafting at Harvest