Profile: Reclaiming Christmas

[reclaim: to recover; to claim back; to convert to a more usable form] Do the excess, stress, and expense of the Christmas holiday seem far removed from the simple, sacred birth of Jesus? ‘Reclaiming Christmas’ is a way to honor the Christ Child by directly supporting those for whom he showed special concern — the poor, the hungry, children, and those who are hurting.
This year Grace Covenant’s SERVE Council has chosen to support 12 different charities that all fall under SERVE’s outreach foci:
 Hunger
 Homelessness / Housing
 Health / Education
 Caring for Creation

These 12 organizations effect positive change both locally and globally:
 ABCCM
 Homeward Bound of Asheville
 Veteran’s Restoration Quarters
 Asheville Youth Mission
 Black Mountain Home for Children
 RiverLink
 Healing Art Missions
 Guatemala Scholarship Fund
 Guatemala Mission Fund
 Nkhoma Hospital—Malawi, Africa
 Mark Hare—PCUSA Missionary (Haiti)
 Barbara Nagy—PCUSA Missionary (Africa)

To participate, find the Reclaiming Christmas Station in the narthex, pick the organization you wish to support, and follow the instructions.

Children can help reclaim Christmas by buying cards for friends, family, and teachers that help those in need. Their two gift options are:
 Food for the children of Malawi
 School supplies for the Guatemalan recipients of scholarships

Look for the special card just for children and be sure to write on the check memo line: "Reclaiming Christmas" then either "Food" or "School Supplies." There is no monetary minimum on the children’s cards. Thank you for your participation in our mission to reclaim Christmas!