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(USGovernment-News.Com, December 05, 2014 ) Kingwood, TX -- While the Christmas season is known to be the season of giving, in the rush caused by added commitments and pressures, sometimes that fact is easy to overlook. Across the Northeast Houston area, individuals are taking action to change that.
From Thanksgiving, which was established to give thanks to God for his blessings and protection, to Christmas, a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and his gift to the world, there are efforts throughout the community to enter into the true spirit of the season and help those in need. The efforts are varied, from individual family efforts, to those organized by businesses and organizations, to community-wide efforts in the Kingwood area. Everyone can make a difference.
This is clearly illustrated in the example set by third graders Meredith Shuch and Kate Matthews. Members of Second Baptist church, the girls participated in the Sunday school program to collect peanut butter for the church holiday outreach, Angels of Light.
Each year across the five campuses, Second Baptist hosts families nominated by local ministries from across the Houston area. The guests are treated to dinner and a Christmas program. Following the program, each child receives a Christmas gift and every family receives groceries to stock their pantry.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Angels of Light program, which has grown to serving over 7,000 people. In order to meet the needs of the guests, the outreach is a church wide effort with members bringing donations of gifts, groceries, and donations for a month prior to the event. From the senior life groups to the preschool classes, the focus is on helping those in need with each Bible study and age group tasked with filling a specific need for the night.
The children's program, TeamKid, was challenged to bring peanut butter to fill the grocery sacks of the attending families. "We live in such a blessed area," explains Angel King, TeamKid Children's Director at the Second Baptist North Campus, "We want our kids to not only be thankful for those blessings, but to also realize that there are kids just like them that don't have those same blessings, that don't have the rooms full of toys, the closets full of clothes, and sometimes don't even have enough food to eat." King concludes with the goal of the program, "We tell our kids that when they help fill a need that someone else has, they are being the hands and feet of Jesus."
Third graders Meredith and Kate took this exhortation to heart. Not content with asking their parents to buy an extra jar of peanut butter to gift, they came up with a plan to give a gift from the heart themselves. Holding a joint birthday party, they gave up gifts for themselves and instead asked their guests to bring jars of peanut butter that would be donated to the Angels of Light.
"When I saw the wagon roll in with the 63 jars of peanut butter and heard what the girls had done, I was in tears" said Bridget Core, TeamKid Children's Bible Study Coordinator, "When you see something like that you not only know that the words and the message are being heard, but it makes you ask yourself, 'Am I doing all I could?"
The girls are not the only ones who have taken the spirit of the season to heart. Across the Northeast Houston area businesses, organizations, and individuals are banding together to serve others. If you have the desire to be a Secret Santa, visit the Kingwood Connection 2014 Giving page for a listing of places to donate and serve in Kingwood and Northeast Houston at http://kwtx.us/giving-season-2014
About Kingwood Connection:
The Kingwood Connection is a publication featuring organizations and events in the community of Kingwood, Texas and the North Houston area.
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