AngelTree - 2009 Review
Four vehicles headed out into the 'Blizzard of 2009' to deliver Angel Tree... Four vehicles headed out into the 'Blizzard of 2009' to deliver Angel Tree gifts to families in the South Jersey area. There were twenty-nine children and eleven families we planned to reach. Our church family was incredibly generous in providing not only gifts, but also a ham dinner to each family and smoke detector batteries so we could change those in the homes we visited. Since this is not a 'need based' program -- many of these families live in nice houses in neighborhoods surrounding our church community -- so many may wonder why this ministry is so important.
To better understand, let me explain how the program works. Chaplains frequent the prisons. If a parent would like a child to receive a gift from them, they have to go and see the chaplain, who is able to begin to discuss their relationships with their children and provide guidance. This might be the only opportunity that they have to speak to a chaplain, who can begin to help the incarcerated person turn to Christ, as they are invited to Bible studies and hear the truth of God’s Word. The incarcerated parent fills out a card and requests that the child receive a specific present and provides the children’s sizes and a message they want to communicate to their child. Then that card is routed through Angel Tree to me. I call the parent/guardian of the child to explain the program, make sure the sizes are okay, make sure the message is okay, and create an 'angel.' Our church family purchases and wraps the gift from the parent, and we deliver it and attempt to deliver the gospel. We pray with every family and invite them to FBC’s Nativity. Many of our 'Angel's’ have been through our Nativity in the last five years and we enjoy building a relationship with these families. At the end of the delivery, we ask the children to contact their incarcerated parent through phone or mail to thank them and hopefully continue growing their relationship. There is much more to the program and the entire process, but I want to thank our church family for all of their support every year. You are making a difference in a lot of lives, right in this area. If you would like to participate next year, just reach out to me. We train 'newbie's' every year and you will be blessed by the experience!
- Pat DeHart
