At Christmas, a wrapped gift can look like a small thing. For a child who may otherwise have little waiting beneath the tree, it can feel like something much bigger, proof that someone saw them, thought about them and cared enough to make the season brighter.
That is the heart behind NewSpring Church Aiken’s annual Angel Tree Outreach, now entering its sixth year of serving children and families. Last Christmas, the outreach provided gifts for approximately 137 children, and organizers hope to reach even more this year.
The effort grows from one of NewSpring’s core values, Showing Visible Love.
“We believe everything is an outflow of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which gives us love that we don’t deserve and brings us in to be part of His family,” Aiken Campus Pastor Matt Steelman says. “Instead of only caring for the people within our church, we want to care for the community.”
Through partnerships with local nonprofits and community organizations, NewSpring identifies families who could use extra support during the Christmas season. Children from newborn through age 18 are included, and beginning November 15th, church members and people throughout the community can participate by adopting a family or child.
The goal is not simply to purchase presents. It is to care for each child intentionally.
That care can show up in details most people might never notice. Volunteers ask questions about a child’s interests, sizes and specific needs. If hair care products are requested, for example, shoppers consider what products are best suited for that particular child. The desire is for every gift to communicate something deeper than generosity, to remind each child that they matter.
For those organizing the outreach, the impact often reaches far beyond Christmas morning.
One story the team remembers is that of a mother and her two children who were living in their car when they first connected with NewSpring. The family received Christmas assistance and later continued receiving support through the church’s pantry and outreach efforts. Months later, the mother arrived at a Serve Saturday event carrying something she was incredibly proud to show: her first paystub.
She had found a job. Her family had moved into an apartment. They were no longer living in their car.
It was a full-circle moment that captured what the outreach hopes to represent. A Christmas gift may be the first point of connection, but sometimes that connection becomes encouragement, practical support, friendship and a reminder that a family does not have to walk through a difficult season alone.
There are also families NewSpring may never see again, and that matters just as much.
The hope is that years from now, a child might remember a Christmas when strangers cared enough to make sure gifts were waiting for them. Maybe they will remember that a church in their community showed up when their family needed help. For those serving, that memory alone is meaningful.
That spirit of gratitude feels especially fitting during a season when many are reflecting on what they have been given. For NewSpring Aiken, thankfulness is not meant to stop with appreciation. It becomes action.
The church describes itself as a multi-ethnic, multi-generational and multi-socioeconomic congregation, and the Angel Tree Outreach reflects that same desire to bring people together across different backgrounds for a shared purpose.
This year’s outreach event will take place December 19th, with gifts due back by December 13th. Community members do not have to attend NewSpring to participate. Anyone interested in adopting a family or helping provide gifts can begin reaching out November 15th to Cissy Canales at 803-306-1102 or cissy.canales@newspring.cc.
NewSpring Church Aiken is located at 2521 Trolley Run Boulevard, with Sunday gatherings at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.
In the end, Angel Tree is not exclusively about presents, but it is also about presence, showing up, paying attention and loving people right where they are.
Because sometimes the simplest way to say “we are thankful for our community” is to make sure someone in that community knows they have not been forgotten.
“We believe everything is an outflow of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which gives us love that we don’t deserve and brings us in to be part of His family.”