My heart is full of gratitude and joy. I have witnessed my community, our Browncroft community, giving generously to those facing significant needs this holiday season. This generosity reflects the image of Christ, the light of the world. As an amazing picture of the Church, and with a variety of life stages, ethnicities, geographic locations, socio-economic situations, and cultural backgrounds, we came together to share this light, the hope of Christ. 

Over the past month we: 

• Filled and organized over 130 food bundles– each one delivered with a Bible
• Collected over 800 cereal boxes
• Donated and sorted over 113 toys
• Received over 110 new and gently used coats
• Matched over 120 winter bundles with socks, mittens, and stocking hats
• Received over $3,500 for turkeys, hams, and Christmas gift cards
• Packed 200 blessing bags for the homeless and Open Door Mission
• Packed 200 snack bags for the Ronald McDonald House
• Prayed for and wrote hundreds of cards for 50 of our ministry partners
• And counting! 

In addition to the diversity of our individual responses, the following Browncroft ministries came together to support the drive: Outreach/Missions, Women’s Ministry, Family Ministry, Men’s Ministry, Adult Ministries, Senior Connections, Operations/Facilities, Communications, and Worship/Production. Seeing our church team up and work together in so many tangible ways was a beauty to behold. And seeing God at work in the moments I struggled with my own inadequacy deepened my faith walk.

This was just a microcosm of our larger collaboration and dedicated giving around the entire Send Me ‘23 Outreach Experience. Thanksgiving is over, but my gratitude hasn’t ended. So many participated, supported, and engaged in prayer– our important foundation! It was an incredible joy for me to watch my church enthusiastically serve together and to be able to join them in that effort. 

At the most foundational level, the source of our joy is our Three-In-One God. He exists in perfect, loving, triune community, and although He had no need for anyone or anything, He gave and continually gives to us from the overflow of His gracious love. He delights in lifting the humble and giving to the weak, vulnerable, and undeserving. That describes each one of us, and we are privileged that He invites us to participate in His generosity! He gave us the perfect gift of Himself. What better time to remember this than as we reflect on Thanksgiving and look ahead to Christmas?

We are privileged to be part of a church where we can participate in Christ’s work in so many different ways. Through the Send Me experience over this past month, we were able to aid in God’s work across the globe and through over sixty locations and ministries, including our own! 

Yet, to sustain and further this impact, we need your support. Our current ministry at Browncroft as well as our local and global ministry partners are dependent on your financial support. My vision, and the vision of our ministry leaders, is to see God’s work expand in Rochester and across the world. This year, my husband and I chose to expand our giving. Would you, as part of our community, pray about how you might start, continue, or expand your financial partnership with us?

This growth could take the form of an end-of-year gift. Or perhaps you might consider increasing your regular giving this coming year to our general fund or missions fund. I invite you to expand your generosity not because of our need. I have no doubt God will supply all that we need as we align with Him. I ask this because I want you to be a part of God’s answer to our prayers and a part of the growth of this ministry. I want your heart to be full of the joy that comes from seeing God work in and through your life. 

Here are some ideas of how you can increase your participation in our ministry:

• Please contribute to our work in local outreach by completing our Outreach Survey if you haven’t already
• Attend and invite others to our Christmas Jam event
• Mark your calendars for the Spiritual Conversations Workshop on January 13 (more info to come)
• Serve in a new ministry area within the church or local region – or simply increase your current involvement
• Give further to and through Browncroft at browncroft.org/give
• Begin (or continue) praying for our ministries! (Email info@browncroft.org for more information about our prayer ministries.)

Thank you, once again, for your generosity to our church and surrounding community. I pray God will bless you for your faithfulness and use your service to advance His Kingdom!