Rethink Church

East Liverpool First UMC Reaches Out

By Barbara Reed, Missions chair
 
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For the last three Christmas seasons, we have been doing a combined "Shop With A Cop” and "Santa Sacks" project.

“Shop with a Cop” is a program of the East Liverpool Fraternal Order of Police.  We write them a $1000.00 check the first part of November so they can estimate the number of children they can take shopping.  We are one of their major donors and they always send us a picture of the shopping trip they do. Several of the officers take the children and help them buy coats, clothes, toys and sometimes gifts for their parents. In 2007, there was enough money to buy about 25 bikes, as well, and distribute them to kids who live in a local housing authority complex. It's a joy to be in the store when the shopping is happening!

Fund raising begins with an "All Saints “dinner in November. We sell 230 tickets and serve more people than that. Food, takeout containers, paper products, decorations and money to buy the meat are all given by members and community stores. We have not had to purchase anything so that every penny is profit.  Those funds go to “Shop with a Cop” and the remainder to the “Santa Sacks.” 

We buy Christmas gifts for children. We include three large baskets of food for each family when we deliver the presents. Each child may select 5 items that they want. Those request are placed on a Christmas tree (with no name or identifying information) and members take the requests and fill them, often adding items to the requested ones. "Santa Sacks" are assembled in the front of our sanctuary the day that we deliver them. Some families pick up their gifts and some we deliver. It is always a moving experience. There are often tears from the recipients and from the members who are helping with deliveries. This program blesses us far more than it does the families we help.