I love Christmas for all the reasons you probably do, but one of my favorite parts of celebrating the birth of Jesus is finding a way for our family to give back.

Ways we’ve found that help us serve during the holidays:

Knotted blankets for a local foster/adoption supply closet. We donate ours to Love Abundant, a supply closet at the Nazarene church in Bluffton, Indiana. They offer all sorts of clothing, toys, and necessities for newly placed foster kids. We’ve included knotted blankets in a backpack with other items like toothbrushes, coloring books, and a stuffed animal. The director knows the value of “owning” something when your world feels upside down and provides the backpacks to foster kids for that very reason. Consider contacting her or another ministry like hers to see what they need most! (Find Love Abundant on Facebook and message Shawna. Tell her Lana sent you!)

Organize Christmas boxes for kids in need through Catholic Charities in Fort Wayne. Help collect, organize, and pack gift boxes for kids in families who are under 200% of the poverty level. Times to serve are available Dec. 12-16 and Dec. 19-22 in three hour time slots through business hours. You’ll serve at their location on Noll Avenue. Learn more and sign up at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e44a9a72eaafec25-christmas

Pack clothing for children living in poverty around the globe through Forgotten Children. Gather your people and sign up to volunteer at their headquarters in Bluffton, Indiana. You’ll learn about their ministry and understand global poverty deeper while you sort and pack clothes to be shipped overseas. You can also donate clothing or sponsor a child. Look for more ways to serve and sign up to volunteer on their website: forgottenchildren.org.

Share the gospel through serving at Cross America in Kokomo, Indiana. Sit at their cafe/event center with any size group and glue a small metal cross to a mailer which outlines the gospel. They’ve been working since 2018 to send a cross and the message of the gospel to every home in America. zip-code by zip-code they are making it happen through groups and people who volunteer to help assemble them. No need to sign up ahead of time, just make sure to visit during open hours. Visit their website to catch the vision and learn more: crossamerica.net

Shop! There are many other ways to serve. Samaritan’s Purse offers Operation Christmas Child boxes, but the national collection week is November 14-21, so it’s got a deadline coming! The same is true for local agencies gathering gifts for families in need.

Look around and plan ahead to serve at local food banks. Those holiday serving times fill up fast (and may already be full for this holiday season), so book well in advance and plan accordingly. Some opportunities to serve at a food bank in Fort Wayne are through The Fort Wayne Rescue Mission (fwrm.org) or St. Vincent de Paul (svdpsfw.org).

Plan ahead to serve this holiday season. God did. His foretelling of a Messiah proves he planned to send the perfect one at the perfect time for a dire need. It was a sacrifice, a BIG sacrifice. Consider planning ahead, sacrificing a little time, and putting hands and feet to your faith. Relish in God’s gift by planning to give back!

Enjoy the Christmas season!

Lana

P.S. Here’s the FREE GIFT- 25 CHRISTMAS DEVOTIONAL IDEAS FOR KIDS- from me….If you’re looking for an advent activity or even just a few devotionals, check out a project I wrote a long time ago. Our family really loved doing this when our kids were younger! I still use the devos for church and family Christmas activities. You can find the entire thing (25 devotional ideas!) FOR FREE at: http://christmasadventurebox.blogspot.com/