Mountain Life Church in Park City, Utah, wanted to find a way to show compassion to single mothers in the community but wasn’t sure what direction to take.
“Some single moms, through divorce and whatnot, feel ostracized from the church and from the love of Jesus. We were looking for a way to open that door back up,” says Director of Spiritual Growth Bob Fine.
Then Mountain Life’s men’s ministry heard about an annual event hosted by Mariners Church in Irvine, California, where they give free Christmas trees to single mothers. In fact, Mariners reaches several hundred single parents every year with their Christmas tree event.
|
THE CHURCH THE CHALLENGE ONE BIG IDEA |
“And one of the men on our team had always dreamed of running a tree lot like you see in Hallmark movies,” Fine adds.
So, last December, Mountain Life Church purchased Christmas trees from a local nursery at cost and organized a Christmas tree lot on church grounds.
To advertise the “Christmas Blessing” outreach, church volunteers hung posters around town and promoted the event on social media using a QR code through which families could sign up and reserve their tree.
“We wanted there to be a feeling of joy when they pulled up,” he explains. “So, our women’s ministry walked around with [the moms] as they picked out a tree with their kids, and then the ladies took them over to a station where there was hot cocoa, candy canes and cookies.”
The women’s ministry even made tree ornaments for the families and handed out cards listing the church’s service times. Meanwhile, men’s ministry volunteers wrapped netting around the trees and loaded them onto vehicles.
According to Fine, many of the recipients inquired about the church and asked to see the sanctuary and children’s area. Others simply asked for prayer.
“And, on several occasions, the women’s ministry shared the gospel with them,” Fine says.
During the event Mountain Life Church gave away 100 six-foot tall trees.
“We just tried to show, authentically, the love of Christ,” he observes. “A little love goes a long way.”
