God with us...Thanks be to God

Emmanuel! God with us. We sing it during the Christmas season, but I don't have to tell you that it is a game-changer when we feel the promise and hope of that glorious Presence! When Covid-19 hit us in March 2020, we had to rethink how we could keep our doors open at our Blessings for Children ministry. We serve people, face-to-face, striving to meet our community's children's needs, so we could not remain open with business as usual. But with God's never-failing guidance, our team worked out new procedures to protect both volunteers and the public; he sent us new volunteers, God touched His people to share in ways they could, and our doors at the #10 house have remained open, allowing us to serve 350+ children in 2020, our second year. This summer brought even more changes within our community, with many Hispanic families coming to see us. Again, God provided our ministry with people with the language skills to help us bridge the communication gap.

Most importantly, our volunteers always approach each person who comes to us with the love of God in their hearts and warm and welcoming smiles on their faces, and that's a language everyone can understand! We thank each of you who have become a part of our Blessings for Children family by sharing your prayers, your item donations, or funds we use to purchase needed items. Thank you to those who bought presents for a child from the Angel Tree. Many of whom were from our Blessings for Children families. God is with us, and we see Him in each of you who have enabled us to go into 2021, our 3rd year of Blessings for Children, ready to face whatever challenges we encounter by sharing the blessings that God has shared with each of us….thanks be to God!

It's a new year, but our needs remain the same. If you would like to join with us in helping our area's children in need at Blessings for Children, please consider any of the following:

• Please pray for the ministry and all who participate.
  
  
• Consider donating items we distribute to the children. Diapers (size 4, 5, and 6 in particular) and pull-ups, wipes, school supplies, children sized t-shirts, socks and underwear, children's toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash or soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. You can find a complete list of items on the church website at shalimar-umc.org/blessings-for-children. You can donate items by stopping by the #10 2nd Street house behind the church any Wednesday from 11:30am-3:30pm. Children's bibles and bible stories and activity books are always a joy to receive and distribute! And Spanish language Bibles are always needed!
  
  
• A financial gift designated to Blessings for Children through the church allows us to shop for needed items.
  
  

New volunteers are always welcome, with no regular commitment required.

For additional information
Mary Jane Robertson
Email: mjr53@cox.net
Visit: shalimar-umc.org/blessings-for-children
Phone: (850) 499-6173
Open every Wednesday 12 - 3:30 pm