Christmas is coming closer, and you, your family, your neighbours are thinking about Christmas and how to celebrate it this year.

We invite you – and want you to invite your neighbours – to a Christmas Eve service on Saturday, December 24 (that’s Christmas Eve!) at 4:30pm. Come see the Christmas story told with shadows and light, sing familiar Christmas carols with candlelight, and hear about love incarnate.

Then join together on Christmas Day – Sunday, December 25 at 10AM. We are worshipping the newborn king by hearing again the great Christmas message of hope and joy, letting kids in on the celebration with a children’s message, and singing familiar Christmas carols. Celebrate together and experience God’s love in this Christmas season.

We are inviting you to serve our community with gifts to our mission partners & missionaries.

Here are eight opportunities for you to give:

1. Hope for Korah – They have a gift catalogue available online or at our information booth. You can give a child breakfast, become a sponsor and lots more.
2. Joshua House – There is a large box near the mail boxes where you can deposit items such as socks, toques, pj’s for the men working to overcome addictions.
3. Brand New Life in Colombia is providing soccer uniforms for children at $30 per uniform. They are also hoping to replace all four tires on their ministry van at $100 per tire. Donate through New Life and mark it for “Brand New Life”.
4. Esperanza is planning summer camps for children but some children will need financial support. $50 – $100 can be given through New Life marked “Esperanza Kids Camp.”
5. Laure, Honduras – The people in Laure are working with Renew to set up hydroponics to provide food and employment in the community. Give any amount through New Life marked “Laure.”
6. Youth Unlimited is a faith-based organization that meets vulnerable youth in Abbotsford. They need cookies and squares, cans of hot chocolate etc.
7. Food Bank – You can bring food or monetary donations to the church. Food can be placed in the large box near the mailboxes and monetary donations should be made out to New Life Church, but marked as “Food Bank.”
8. Donate to one of our missionaries: Fred in Middle East, Eve Pohl working in Ethiopia, Fernando Trevino in Colombia or the Barnhoorn family who does translation work for Nigeria.

We know there are many ways to give and many things to which we can give. Let us give with thankful hearts in response to the gift God has given us.

Either donate directly to the cause you choose or through New Life by any of our giving methods but make sure you clearly indicate who the gift is for. There are also many giving Catalogues made by other non-profits. We have hard copies of one made by World Renew, which is available at the info booth or online.

Please give all gifts by December 20.

We wish you joy as you reach out to others this Christmas Season.

CHRISTMAS GIFTBAGS The New Life GEMS need your help to put together Christmas Gift Bags for The Stream Ministry. They will be assembling the bags at their Christmas party on December 6. If you would like to participate please bring items like $5 gift cards (Tims, McDonalds, Dollarama), gloves, a sweet Christmas treat, chapstick, Pack of gum, socks, band aids, lighters, hot-pockets, small tooth-paste, tooth brush or personal size pack of sani-wipes by next Sunday, Dec 4. The stream is a local ministry run out of The River Church in Abbotsford. The Stream focuses on serving those in the margins of our community. They support them in many practical ways, like serving food, bringing them into Christian community and giving them access to discipleship and counselling.