Missions Guide
This Christmas season and into 2025, we invite you to intentionally Be a Light shining for Jesus in your neighborhood, community, and world.
This Christmas season and into 2025, we invite you to intentionally Be a Light shining for Jesus in your neighborhood, community, and world.
At the first Christmas, God gave the gift of light to a world in darkness by sending His Son Jesus, the Light of the World – what an indescribable gift! And even more amazing, Jesus says to his followers in Matthew 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
As His followers, we are called to live missionally, to regift God’s gift of light, reflecting His light in the lives of people around us throughout the year. This Christmas season is the perfect time to start, and we can help by offering unique opportunities for you and your family to shine brightly for Jesus.
You can create your own opportunity to Be a Light or choose one from our mission partners highlighted below. Either way, pray and ask God to show you where and how to Be a Light. Then, give and go! Be sure to let us know too, so we can collectively praise God as His light advances in our world.
Check out our current Holiday Missions Guide! Hard copies are available at the Welcome Center.
Share your stories with us below so we can collectively praise God.
NEIGHBORHOOD
The holiday season can be so busy and overwhelming that we may forget to Be a Light in the most obvious of places – in our neighborhoods. This season, begin by PRAYING that God would show you how to tangibly Be a Light to your neighbors – involve the whole family! Then GO and GIVE the light of Jesus. Need a few suggestions? Meet a need such as yardwork, repairs, shopping or snow shoveling. Take a meal or plate of cookies or better yet, invite a neighbor to your place for dinner. Extend an invitation to your neighbor to join you at one of our Christmas Services. Then in 2025, continue Being a Light, grow your relationship, and share your faith in Jesus.
COMMUNITY
Be a Light in our community by providing hot meals or volunteering as a Café Server. Also during the holidays, there are various opportunities to provide food and serve at special events such as Family Dinners.
PRAY about how you, your family or your life group can GIVE and GO to our community through Cups Café.
This season can be particularly difficult for children in the foster care system in Medina County. You can Be a Light to these children in 2 ways:
1. Participate in the MCJFS Holiday Toy Drive by purchasing any toy for a child in foster care. Drop off toys at MEC by Sunday, November 17. MCJFS will match a toy to a child in their care.
2. Purchase specific gifts from a foster child’s list through the 2024 MCJFS Amazon Wish List by November 29th. The gift will be shipped to MCJFS and wrapped by them in time for Christmas delivery.
PRAY about how you can Be a Light to women and families in our community through Oasis of Hope. You can GIVE by donating to their 2025 Wish List which includes much needed supplies for Family Discipleship Take Home Bags, Ultrasound Gift Bags and Classroom Updates totaling $11,200. Click on the button below and Select “Room Sponsorship” as the donation designation.
WORLD
SANYUKA
Be a Light in a life of a Ugandan child by offering the gift of sponsorship and relationship. Sponsor a child with a monthly gift toward $200/month for education, spiritual training, food, housing and life skills which they would not otherwise receive. Currently, 31 children are unsponsored and an additional 40 children have partial sponsorships. Your sponsorship also allows for a relationship to grow with a child through correspondence. Thank you for helping Sanyuka fulfill its vision of extending the love of Jesus Christ to the neediest children in Uganda. For opportunities to PRAY and GIVE, GO below.
SHOULDER TO SHOULDER
Every year, we make gift baskets for each pastor we partner with here in Mazatlán, Mexico. This Christmas, there are 48 pastors that we would like to bless with resource and encouragement gift baskets.
Click on the button below to GO and select “Donate”, then “Resource Training Center” to GIVE. Our goal is $4,400. Thank you for Being a Light to the pastors in Mazatlán, Mexico!
