Nordegg Community Church has done Christmas hampers for those in the community for a few years now.
It’s been a good way to connect to the community and to practically love their neighbours who are in need or have had a rough year.
This year, Dave and Crystie Tarr decided to try something a little different and they opened up the Christmas hamper project to the community.
There was a Christmas tree with ornaments and little tags that listed the items they needed.
So people could come by and pick up an ornament, do their shopping and then return the gifts to the post office where Crystie works.
The response was crazy.
So many people from the community wanted to be a part of it.
There was an eagerness to join in on the generosity and community spirit that the church initiated.
In the end, they had 10 huge hampers of food and gifts.
Plus, they had a wad of cash that they spent at the local cafe for gift cards.
They sent the gift cards to families in the community who had lost a family member that year or who had a hard year.
Other years it often took Dave and Crystie a couple of days to organize everything and deliver it all to the right spots.
This year – so many people helped out that it was all done in 20 min.
Loving our neighbour – this is what Jesus has called us to do.
Inviting others to be a part of the mission of God is another way for people to know who God is and what God cares about.
Photo creds: Nico Smit (Unsplash)