Last year, our small but mighty congregation proved again it has a very big heart. We broke our previous record for shoeboxes, providing 86 shoe boxes! Congratulations Nativity!

Your shoeboxes filled with toys, school supplies, and hygiene items provide both Christian relief and evangelism, while also bringing joy to needy children in desperate situations around the world.

If you start looking now for your shoe-box items and you can take advantage of the on-going Back to School sales as well as Holiday promotions.

It’s easy to participate in this exciting project that spreads joy and the Good News of Christ. First, get a shoe box! If you don’t have a shoebox, don’t let that stop you, we often have extra empty shoeboxes available as the Shoebox deadline approaches. You can warp the box if you so desire, wrapping the lid separately. Then decide whether your box will be for a girl or boy and what age range. Then you pack it with a variety of new gifts and lots of love. When you drop off your box, make sure to include a minimum of $5 to cover shipping and other costs.

This year, as we have in the past, Nativity is adopting two local families — one in Manatee County and one in Sarasota County. Last year, you responded so generously with both gift items and cash. Part of the cash bought specific items that the children requested and the rest went to gift certificates at local grocery stores and department stores.

Watch next month’s Tidings for details about our adoptive families. Since our parish has traditionally been so open with our hearts and purses, we are able to adopt very large special-needs families that often have difficulty getting placed with individual sponsors.

In addition to physical gifts, we also ask your gift of prayer for these families. And also a card — let them know that they are being held in prayer. So, please remember to add our adopted families to your Christmas card list.