Beginning Sunday, December 3, you will find our decorated Giving Tree in the Dickinson Room. This North Church Advent tradition is one of the ways we help bring joy to families in need during the holiday season. This year we have selected two of the recently arrived refugee families that North Church members have been assisting. The family of five from Eritrea had to move apartments after a fire but the girls are adjusting nicely to new schools and are receiving some special educational tutoring from NPC members. The other family arrived from Iraq to join family members in Buffalo. They are learning English and finding jobs. They sometimes attend Sunday services with us.

We will again be supporting the Homespace program, which provides a safe transitional living environment with supportive services for single-parent families in the foster care system. If you would like to take part in this project, please select a tag from the tree and sign it out so we know that all items are accounted for. A member of the Mission Committee will be there to assist you.

Gifts should be wrapped with the gift tag attached and returned to the church no later than Sunday, December 17. Enclosing a gift receipt makes it convenient for the recipient. If shopping is not your thing, we can do some of it for you. Some items have already been purchased; you can simply reimburse the Mission Committee to be the donor. If you prefer to give a monetary donation, we will apply it toward purchase of some of the items. Thank you for helping to make the Christmas season special for families in our community.