The Christmas Season brings ample opportunity for families to gather for joyous celebrations and fellowship. Local churches offer events and opportunities to extend that joy to families in need. You are invited to join in on the spirit of giving to bring hope for the holidays.
The Woodlands Methodist Church
Christmas Miracles is an annual outreach of the Woodlands Methodist Church. Christmas wishes are delivered to over 1500 of the most vulnerable kids and senior adults in our community. Through partnerships with local schools and nonprofits, participation in Christmas Miracles is as simple as choosing a tag from any of their venues on Sundays. The tag will list the Christmas wishes of a child or a senior. The public is invited to participate in fulfilling the mission of Christmas Miracles as well, please contact the church to see if any tags still remain with wishes to grant.
"As a retired librarian, I witnessed the kids in my school receive Christmas gifts yearly from the Woodlands Methodist Church. As I watched moms come in, I saw they always left in tears, knowing their families would be provided for…This always melted my heart. And I knew this was the work I wanted to give myself to after I retired,” shares Markie Lawrence, Christmas Wishes volunteer.
Woodlands Methodist will also be hosting a Christmas Fest that is open to the community. This event is a time of fun for families to come and share in Christmas cheer. If your family would like to kick off your holiday season with fun and fellowship, consider joining in on this event that is to be held on December 8th at 4 PM on the plaza and fairway.
Trinity Episcopal Church
Their annual Angel Gift Market will be held from 7:00 to 12:00 on Sunday, December 8th. It is open to the community and is a festive occasion for all ages. The church's social hall will be filled with Christmas displays and booths representing all the church's outreach ministries and outreach partners. Visitors have the opportunity to select which community programs and causes they'd like to support. Donors can request a greeting card to give to a friend or relative with a note saying a donation was made in their name, offering a thoughtful, alternative gift option.
“I enjoy taking my grandchildren because they witness the goodwill of giving and can select a ministry to which they can donate,” says Sandra Soghikian, Community Outreach Coordinator
10-year-old Ellie, shares why she enjoys volunteering, “I feel light, like I’m helping people who right now are not able to help themselves. I picture myself, what I would do and how much I would depend on people like that. That is what really pushes me to help and share what I have that they may not.”
Trinity Episcopal also meets community needs with their Wall of Generosity gathering of food. Individuals and families donate boxes or bags of groceries for families who otherwise would not be able to buy food for a holiday meal. The men's group, The Prime Time Guys, builds a wall of all the boxed food on the stage of the community hall to give visual representation to the impact being made through generous giving. Then, the church partners with Interfaith of the Woodlands who distributes the food to families they have identified in need. Trinity would love your help with their Wall of Generosity drive. The public can bring bags or boxes of groceries to the church office or Butler Hall.
Trinity's Youth group also collects toys and gift cards for children who would otherwise go without gifts at Christmas. The donations are given to Interfaith of the Woodlands for the holiday shopping event hosted for families who are invited to select gifts for their children at no cost.
Christ Church Methodist
Christ Church Methodist on Research Forest begins their holiday outreach in November each year with a Pumpkin Patch open to the public. The proceeds from the sale of pumpkins go to support their local and global mission partners.
They also have a team that cooks turkeys and helps serve at the Salvation Army in Conroe’s Thanksgiving Feast. While this event has already happened this season, the generosity is felt throughout the holiday season. Join in on their generous giving by helping them package boxes of food for Compassion United. These are delivered to families in need in the Conroe area during the holiday season.
Every Christmas Season, Christ Church Methodist participates in the Interfaith of the Woodlands Toy Drive and they welcome the public’s support in this as well. New, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at the church by Tuesday, December 10. Christ Church Methodist invites the public to learn about their monthly, local serving opportunities by visiting their website.
“I feel light, like I’m helping people who right now are not able to help themselves. I picture myself, what I would do and how much I would depend on people like that. That is what really pushes me to help and share what I have that they may not.”
10-year-old Ellie, Trinity Episcopal volunteer
"As I watched moms come in, I saw they always left in tears, knowing their families would be provided for…" Markie Lawrence, Christmas Wishes volunteer