Christmas Eve Special Offering

Each year Faith United Methodist is very generous by giving all of the offering that we receive at our Christmas Eve Candlelight service to a non-profit. Over the years we have collected thousands of dollars to help alleviate homelessness, provide beds for children in need, provide for families with an incarcerated parent and many other wonderful projects. This year with our theme of “Let Heaven and Nature Sing” we have chosen two projects from the Oklahoma Conference.

The first $2000 will be sent to beautiful Camp Egan outside of Tahlequah. This piece of nature has been a place of holy retreat and camping for children and adults of all ages. It is where our Kid’s Director, Ms. Linda, met her husband and later got married. It is where our women go to get away and deepen their faith every year. It is the place where we worship with no walls surrounded by God’s creation. The first time I went to Camp Egan in 7th grade is when I saw a woman clergy person and was shocked to think that girls could be preachers. This is a place that has changed my life and the faith of many others. If you would like to check out Camp Egan and their ministry, click here.

The rest of the offering will be sent to the Circle of Care. Many of you have heard of this wonderful resource for children in foster care in the state of Oklahoma. But there are also many other projects that Circle of Care does for children and parents. They have been helping families since 1917 and this is one of the things that I am most proud of for the Oklahoma Conference of the United Methodist Church. To read about their ministry, I encourage you to go here.

We have discovered over the years that if we just say that our offering is going to Missions that you are generous but when you know what project and who is being helped that you are extraordinarily generous. Pastor Adam Hamilton once challenged his congregation to match dollar for dollar what they spent on gifts to missions. As a result they have given over a million dollars away since he issued that challenge a decade ago. If you and your family would like to consider that challenge, your matching dollars would be going to Camp Egan and Circle of Care this year. And wouldn’t that be wonderful?!

Lastly, I want to remind you about the Memorial service on Saturday for our dear Sue Sensintaffer at 2 pm. Please keep this family in your prayers as they say goodbye to this lovely lady.

May you find some peace in this Advent season,